apparent suggests appearance to unaided senses that may or may not be borne out by more rigorous examination or greater knowledge.
the apparent cause of the accident
illusory implies a false impression based on deceptive resemblance or faulty observation, or influenced by emotions that prevent a clear view.
an illusory sense of security
seeming implies a character in the thing observed that gives it the appearance, sometimes through intent, of something else.
the seeming simplicity of the story
ostensible suggests a discrepancy between an openly declared or naturally implied aim or reason and the true one.
the ostensible reason for their visit
Examples of illusory in a Sentence
an illusory sense of security
Recent Examples on the WebTry not to build castles in the air when Mars unites with illusory Neptune in your sign on the 29th.—Debbie Frank, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024 But maximizing these opportunities means learning the lessons of the last few years – moving away from illusory valuations driven by FOMO and media frenzy, and returning to the fundamentals of great investing, and real sustainable growth.—Kjartan Rist, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 There is also the hope, not entirely illusory, that Russian vulnerabilities will eventually become too much for the Putin regime to handle.—Keith Gessen, The New Yorker, 15 Feb. 2024 The trope taps into the sense that our most intimate and trusted spaces can be treacherous, that normalcy is unstable and perhaps illusory.—Stephen Kearse, The Atlantic, 26 Jan. 2024 His original goal of seizing Kyiv and subjugating Ukraine proved foolish and illusory.—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2024 But peace is illusory as long as Hamas remains in power.—Phil Klay, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024 Nowadays misinformation and fake news pose such a big problem because untrue statements get repeated through retweets, shares, etc.
Sunstein: Recognizing the strength of the illusory truth effect can create a degree of inoculation to defend against falsehoods.—Jessica Dulong, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 Featuring all of the hallmarks of an Irwin piece — its use of shadow, light and material to create an intimate, illusory effect — the installation, however incidental, served as something of a fitting tribute to a true master.—Seth Combs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'illusory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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