english word · 2026-08-16
hallucination
noun
Meaning
In artificial intelligence, a phenomenon where a model generates information that sounds confident and fluent but is factually incorrect or nonsensical. It is like a master storyteller who, when asked about a topic they don't know, invents a plausible-sounding fairy tale instead of admitting they are confused.
Etymology
Derived from the Latin 'hallucinari', meaning to wander in the mind or dream.
Examples
"The developer had to implement a fact-checking layer to prevent the chatbot from producing a hallucination about the company's legal policies."
"Because large language models predict the next likely word rather than querying a database of facts, they are prone to subtle hallucinations."
A new word every day
Get a beautiful english word in your inbox every morning. Free.
Subscribe →