as in daydreams
something that comes from or exists only in the mind and is not real
He thought he saw water up ahead but it was just a mirage.
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Recent Examples of mirages
The film opens with real mirages filmed near Aswan in Egypt, where atmospheric conditions produce optical distortions.
—
Lise Pedersen, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Multimodal models see ‘mirages’ This past week has brought yet more evidence of how weird these models are.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Bat away mirages and stick to what’s really in your viewfinder.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
At the frontier edge of astronomy, tantalizing new observations have a tendency to be mirages.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
But inside, slabs of colored glass, hunks of polished resin, and sundry material experiments gleam like mirages in the sunlight that streams in from the ceiling and windows.
—Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
The Great Plain stretches beneath poetic skies where herds graze and mirages dance—while thermal springs bubble in ornate bathhouses like Széchenyi—their steam rising through vaulted ceilings.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Lise Pedersen, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Multimodal models see ‘mirages’ This past week has brought yet more evidence of how weird these models are.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026
Bat away mirages and stick to what’s really in your viewfinder.
—Magi Helena, Dallas Morning News, 16 Feb. 2026
At the frontier edge of astronomy, tantalizing new observations have a tendency to be mirages.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Sep. 2025
But inside, slabs of colored glass, hunks of polished resin, and sundry material experiments gleam like mirages in the sunlight that streams in from the ceiling and windows.
—Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
The Great Plain stretches beneath poetic skies where herds graze and mirages dance—while thermal springs bubble in ornate bathhouses like Széchenyi—their steam rising through vaulted ceilings.
—Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mirages
Noun
-
Just think of all those vacant Madonnas, structurally perfect compositions, and obedient daydreams of antiquity.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The family car is a Mazda, but Zac daydreams of a Bugatti Veyron.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
And so to watch those guys get drafted, man, and live out a component of their dreams.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
While the film and television landscapes continue to evolve, this seems to us like the ideal time to bet on ourselves and champion strong material that brings our creative visions to life.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The first type is replete with hallucinations and delusions—voices, visions, grandiose beliefs, paranoia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mirages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mirages. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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