as in illusion
an image that tricks a person's vision
Some may dismiss what we witnessed that night as an optical illusion, but we firmly believe it was a UFO.
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Recent Examples of optical illusion
For the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty, Kidman changed into a netted gold optical illusion gown, also from Chanel.
—
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
The Agafay Desert is an optical illusion.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
In visual art, from Byzantine painting up through Renaissance painting, artists actually attempted to physically reproduce perspective, or at least an optical illusion of it.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion where the planet appears to move backward from Earth's perspective.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 18 Mar. 2026
The Agafay Desert is an optical illusion.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
In visual art, from Byzantine painting up through Renaissance painting, artists actually attempted to physically reproduce perspective, or at least an optical illusion of it.
—Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026
Mercury retrograde is an optical illusion where the planet appears to move backward from Earth's perspective.
—Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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But the illusion shatters when a stranger on the street recognizes the dog… as HER boyfriend Danny’s dog.—
William Earl,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
This week, even Penny’s exceptionalism is revealed to be an illusion.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Most people would consider that to be a pipe dream, but Poulakidas didn’t.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
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The days of a potential merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour seem to be a pipe dream now, especially as LIV stars like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed come back to their old roots.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There certainly seem to be apparitions in this music, some presence apart from the four musicians and the throngs of fans, which is intensified by the visceral collision of so many sounds.—
Stephen M. Deusner,
Pitchfork,
27 Apr. 2026
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Those themes are alive here, as the ghosts who visit Depp’s Scrooge are intricate, terrifying apparitions not suitable for the whole family.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Workers will continue with smaller tasks around the facade, including the installation of chimeras that sit on the roofline, but the heavy lifting has been completed, Walter said.—
Dylan Lovan,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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Rather than a somewhat normal for Hollywood bakeoff, Paramount plans to kind of smush the two scripts together into one IP chimera.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusion. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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