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
My favorite bits with him are his office decorations, frankly—the rabbit/duck optical illusion statue, showing his mutable nature, and the iceberg poster, hinting at hidden depths.
—
Ars Technica, 25 Mar. 2025
This stunning image by the Hubble Space Telescope contains an optical illusion.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Rag & Bone’s unique digital printing technique creates an optical illusion that gives the bottoms a denim-like effect, straight down to the faux button detailing.
—Melony Forcier, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
The 1980s brought an interest in the Necker cube, an optical illusion in which a two-dimensional drawing of a cube is perceived as having three dimensions and two possible spatial orientations.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Ars Technica, 25 Mar. 2025
This stunning image by the Hubble Space Telescope contains an optical illusion.
—Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Rag & Bone’s unique digital printing technique creates an optical illusion that gives the bottoms a denim-like effect, straight down to the faux button detailing.
—Melony Forcier, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025
The 1980s brought an interest in the Necker cube, an optical illusion in which a two-dimensional drawing of a cube is perceived as having three dimensions and two possible spatial orientations.
—News Desk, Artforum, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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The entire space was stunned by the illusion of water gushing and animals moving toward the audience.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
28 May 2025
-
Donald Trump started selling the illusion of exclusivity half a century ago.—
Ian Crouch,
New Yorker,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Houston is really high on Udoka, so this may seem like a pipe dream.—
Ricardo Klein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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Making changes like this can be difficult because estranged parents often don’t realize how important being on the same page is for their children so making such changes seems like a pipe dream.—
Jann Blackstone,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2025
Noun
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The series, originally from Monumental Television for the BBC in the UK, follows a young couple inherit a huge castle, only to find one of them can communicate with the various apparitions from history who already live there.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
3 June 2025
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The listing appeared suddenly, like an apparition from the era when Yoshi’s reigned as the Bay Area’s premiere jazz venue.—
Andrew Gilbert,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusion. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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