WILL-O'-THE-WISP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does will-o'-the-wisp mean? 

• WILL-O'-THE-WISP (noun)
  The noun WILL-O'-THE-WISP has 2 senses:

1. a pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground

2. an illusion that misleads

  Familiarity information: WILL-O'-THE-WISP used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• WILL-O'-THE-WISP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

friar's lantern; ignis fatuus; jack-o'-lantern; will-o'-the-wisp

Hypernyms ("will-o'-the-wisp" is a kind of...):

light; visible light; visible radiation ((physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An illusion that misleads

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

ignis fatuus; will-o'-the-wisp

Hypernyms ("will-o'-the-wisp" is a kind of...):

fancy; fantasy; illusion; phantasy (something many people believe that is false)

 Context examples 

What did I do, Jane? I transformed myself into a will-o'-the-wisp.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Transcendentalism is a beacon to the angels, even if it be a will-o'-the-wisp to man.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)