French word

hallucination

Pronunciation

IPA/alysinasjɔ̃/

Meaning

  • feminine nounhallucination

Example

Il a eu une hallucination après une forte fièvre.

He had a hallucination following a high fever.

Illustration for hallucination (hallucination)

More examples

Elle a entendu une voix; c'était une hallucination auditive.

She heard a voice; it was an auditory hallucination.

Core concept

The mind's sensory picture projected into ordinary reality without an object, sound, odor, taste, or touch to cause it.

Common phrases

  • avoir une hallucination

    have a hallucination

  • une hallucination visuelle

    visual hallucination

  • une hallucination auditive

    auditory hallucination

  • souffrir d'une hallucination

    suffer from a hallucination

Similar words

illusion: A real object perceived as something else.
délire: A mental state marked by disordered thoughts and speech far removed from reality.
apparition: A ghostlike figure or presence that seems to appear suddenly.
fantasme: An unrealistic mental image shaped by desire or imagination.

Definition in French

Perception sensorielle (visuelle, auditive, olfactive, gustative ou tactile) qui se produit en l'absence de tout stimulus externe correspondant.

Word origin

Hallucination developed in French from Latin hallucinatio, related to hallucinari, which referred to mental wandering and seeing falsely.

Usage tips

  • The related verb halluciner can describe a medical experience, but in informal French j'hallucine also means that something is astonishing or hard to believe.

Opposites

Related words

  • hallucinerhallucinateverb
  • hallucinanthallucinogenicadjective
  • hallucinatoirehallucinatoryadjective

Word lists with this word