hallucination
gb/həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/ us/həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
C1
English
hallucináció, káprázat, illúzió
NOUN
C1
1
hallucináció
C1
Usage pattern:
[someone] has/experiences hallucinations; a hallucination of [something]
The medication helped reduce the frightening hallucinations he had at night.
A gyógyszer segített csökkenteni az éjszaka jelentkező, ijesztő hallucinációit.
After three days without sleep, she began to experience hallucinations.
Három nap alvás nélkül hallucinációk jelentkeztek nála.
Some patients report auditory hallucinations, such as hearing voices when no one is speaking.
Learner examples
He had a hallucination and saw a person who was not there.
Hallucinációja volt, és látott egy embert, aki nem volt ott.
High fever can sometimes cause hallucinations.
A magas láz néha hallucinációkat okozhat.
Common mistake:
Do not confuse a hallucination with a delusion: a hallucination is a false perception, while a delusion is a false belief.
Meaning
false sensory experience
Collocations
have hallucinations
|experience hallucinations
|visual hallucination
|auditory hallucination
|vivid hallucination
|drug-induced hallucination
|cause hallucinations
|report hallucinations
|suffer from hallucinations
|hallucination of voices
Synonyms
illusion (Broader; often involves misinterpreting something real rather than perceiving something absent.)
|
vision (Often refers specifically to seeing something, sometimes with religious or mystical overtones.)
|
phantom perception (More technical and descriptive, especially for sensory experiences without an external source.)
Antonyms
reality (What is actually present or true, as opposed to something falsely perceived.)
|
real perception (A perception caused by an actual external object or event.)
Themes
health
|psychology
|perception
|medicine
|drugs
Definition
A time when you see, hear, or feel something that is not really there.
An experience of seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, or tasting something that is not actually present, especially because of illness, drugs, extreme stress, or lack of sleep.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
2
hallucináció
C1
Usage pattern:
an AI/model/chatbot hallucination; [a system] produces/generates hallucinations
The chatbot gave a convincing answer, but it turned out to be a hallucination.
A chatbot meggyőző választ adott, de végül kiderült, hogy hallucináció volt.
Developers are working to reduce hallucinations in large language models.
A fejlesztők azon dolgoznak, hogy csökkentsék a nagy nyelvi modellek hallucinációit.
The report included several hallucinations, including fake citations and invented statistics.
Learner examples
The AI gave a hallucination and invented a book title.
Az MI hallucinációt produkált, és kitalált egy könyvcímet.
Always check important facts because chatbots can produce hallucinations.
A fontos tényeket mindig ellenőrizd, mert a chatbotok hallucinációkat produkálhatnak.
Common mistake:
This use does not mean the AI literally sees things; it means the system invents information.
Meaning
false AI-generated information
Collocations
AI hallucination
|model hallucination
|chatbot hallucination
|generate hallucinations
|produce hallucinations
|reduce hallucinations
|detect hallucinations
|hallucination rate
|factual hallucination
|source hallucination
Synonyms
fabrication (Emphasizes that the information is invented rather than true.)
|
confabulation (More technical; suggests filling gaps with plausible but false content.)
|
false output (Plain descriptive term with less specialized meaning.)
Antonyms
accurate answer (An output that correctly states the relevant facts.)
|
grounded output (An AI output supported by reliable source information or data.)
Themes
technology
|artificial_intelligence
|computing
|information
Definition
A wrong answer from an AI system that sounds confident but is not based on real facts.
A false, invented, or unsupported statement produced by an artificial intelligence system, especially one presented as if it were factual.
NOUN
C2
LITERARY
3
Usage pattern:
a hallucination of [something]; a collective/shared hallucination
To critics, the promised economic miracle was a hallucination, not a realistic plan.
A kritikusok szerint a beígért gazdasági csoda káprázat volt, nem reális terv.
The city in his novel feels like a beautiful hallucination, half real and half dream.
A regényében a város olyan, mint egy gyönyörű káprázat: félig valóság, félig álom.
For a moment, the applause seemed like a hallucination after years of failure.
Learner examples
The perfect plan was only a hallucination, not reality.
A tökéletes terv csak káprázat volt, nem a valóság.
Common mistake:
In everyday English, illusion or fantasy is often more natural for this figurative meaning.
Meaning
imagined or unreal impression
Collocations
collective hallucination
|shared hallucination
|feverish hallucination
|political hallucination
|cultural hallucination
|strange hallucination
|pure hallucination
|hallucination of success
Synonyms
illusion (More common and neutral for a false or misleading impression.)
|
fantasy (Emphasizes imagination or wishful thinking.)
|
mirage (Figurative; suggests something attractive that disappears when approached.)
Antonyms
reality (The actual situation, not an imagined one.)
|
fact (Something known to be true, not merely imagined or believed.)
Themes
ideas
|perception
|figurative_language
Definition
Something that seems real to someone but is actually imagined or false.
An idea, image, or impression that is unreal, exaggerated, or based on imagination rather than fact.
Grammar
Dictionary form
hallucination
IPA
GB/həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
US/həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
Syllables & stress
hal - lu - cin - a - tion (5 syllables)
Stress on 4th syllable (a)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: hallucination
- Plural: hallucination, hallucinations
Expressions
auditory hallucination
1/ˈɔdɪtˌɔɹi həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
hearing unreal sounds
hearing a voice or sound that is not really there
Examples
- After several sleepless nights, he experienced an auditory hallucination and heard someone call his name.
- Auditory hallucinations are often described as voices, but they can also be music or other sounds.
Learner examples
- She heard a voice when no one was there. It was an auditory hallucination.
auditory hallucination
1/ˈɔdɪtˌɔɹi həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
hearing nonexistent sounds
A false experience of hearing something, such as a voice, when there is no real sound.
Examples
- She described an auditory hallucination in which someone called her name.
- Auditory hallucinations can occur in several mental health conditions, but they can also happen during extreme stress.
- The patient reported auditory hallucinations of music playing in the next room.
Learner examples
- He heard a voice, but it was an auditory hallucination.
drug-induced hallucination
1/dɹˈʌɡ ɪndˈust həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
hallucination caused by drugs
A hallucination that happens because someone has taken a drug or medicine.
Examples
- The emergency team treated him for severe drug-induced hallucinations.
- Some medications can rarely cause drug-induced hallucinations as a side effect.
- The film shows the character having drug-induced hallucinations after taking the substance.
Learner examples
- The drug caused a drug-induced hallucination.
hypnagogic hallucination
1/hˈɪpnəɡəd͡ʒɪk həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
hallucination while falling asleep
A hallucination that happens just as you are starting to sleep.
Examples
- She sometimes has hypnagogic hallucinations and hears her name as she falls asleep.
- Hypnagogic hallucinations can be frightening, but they are not always a sign of serious illness.
- The sleep specialist asked whether the images occurred during dreams or as hypnagogic hallucinations.
Learner examples
- He saw a face as he was falling asleep. It was a hypnagogic hallucination.
mass hallucination
1/mˈæs həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
shared false perception
A situation where many people seem to see or believe the same unreal thing.
Examples
- Some witnesses claimed to see a strange light, but skeptics called it a mass hallucination.
- The theory that the event was a mass hallucination did not satisfy everyone.
- The phrase mass hallucination is often used in discussions of miracles, UFO sightings, and crowd behavior.
Learner examples
- People said they saw the same ghost, but others called it a mass hallucination.
tactile hallucination
1/tˈæktˌaɪl həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
feeling nonexistent touch
A false feeling that something is touching your body or moving on your skin.
Examples
- He described tactile hallucinations, saying it felt as if insects were crawling on his arms.
- Certain drug withdrawals can cause disturbing tactile hallucinations.
- The neurologist asked about pain, numbness, and any tactile hallucinations.
Learner examples
- She felt bugs on her skin, but it was a tactile hallucination.
visual hallucination
1/vˈɪʒuəl həlˌusɪnˈeɪʃən/
fixed phrase
technical
seeing nonexistent things
A false experience of seeing something that is not really there.
Examples
- The illness caused vivid visual hallucinations of animals in the room.
- Some people have brief visual hallucinations when they are falling asleep or waking up.
- The doctor asked whether the patient had experienced any visual hallucinations.
Learner examples
- She saw bright lights that were not there. It was a visual hallucination.