Delusion or illusion?

Hello!
I think the meanings overlapse, but "delusion" seems to carry a negative feeling, as if someone purposedly made you believe something that wasn't true, whereas "illusion" sounds more positive to me...
Hang on, I'm sure someone else will be able to tell you more about this.

A delusion is a mental thing; you perceive something that doesn't exist (???)

An illusion can be a physical phenomena, like a mirage.

sorry ,i can understand , but what is the meaning of mirage.

A mirage is what you think see when you're in the desert, an oasis, a well..., but it's an illusion, a delusion, it's virtual, not real.

Delusion ... when someone believes something that is not true

"She was under the delusion that babies grow under gooseberry bushes"


An illusion is a false idea:

He had no illusions about his talents as a singer.
We are not under any illusion - we know the work is dangerous.

The difference is subtle, but lies in the word "believe"; a delusion

So, a delusion is to believe something that is not true,
an illusion is to believe somethig is true ?

Delusion is more of a mental state that lets you perceive things incorrectly or see things that aren't there. It can be a medical condition.

Illusion can be optical. You associate magic will illusion, not delusion. It can also be a false belief, like what Abbie said. But having an illusion does not mean you're mentally ill.

Hope this helps.

ouh! thanks, it helps!

Neither illusion nor delusion necessarily imply any form of mental illness, though delusion can be associated with (e.g.) schizophrenia.

Thanks Abbie, all your recent posts have been very helpful.