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
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actress has been laying low since giving birth last summer, albeit making a surprise appearance in a nude optical illusion corset dress that appeared to be dripping with blood at a special Jennifer’s Body event in October.
—
Lara Walsh, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
The Agafay Desert is an optical illusion.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
The event will enable children ages 9-12 to explore optical illusions by experimenting with magnifying glasses and mirrors to bend light, create effects and use Oculus Quest VR headsets to brew potions, mix chemistry compounds and conjure creations.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Waterfall of Light Particles at the Top of an Incline also uses light to create an optical illusion as museum visitors climb a waterfall in darkness, only illuminated by the lights on either side.
—Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Lara Walsh, InStyle, 16 Mar. 2026
The Agafay Desert is an optical illusion.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
The event will enable children ages 9-12 to explore optical illusions by experimenting with magnifying glasses and mirrors to bend light, create effects and use Oculus Quest VR headsets to brew potions, mix chemistry compounds and conjure creations.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
Waterfall of Light Particles at the Top of an Incline also uses light to create an optical illusion as museum visitors climb a waterfall in darkness, only illuminated by the lights on either side.
—Emma Kershaw, Forbes.com, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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More than a month into open confrontation between Iran, the United States, Israel, and now parts of the Arab Gulf, the illusion of a quick and decisive conflict has collapsed.—
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The next mayor will inherit an enormous burden on Day 1 with no room for illusions.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Building alternative pipelines to relieve a global chokepoint is no pipe dream.—
John Spencer,
Washington Post,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Years back, a Tentsile tent light enough for unencumbered backpacking or bikepacking seemed little more than a pipe dream.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Acosta’s bright shapes could be seen as apparitions of a sort.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
-
For example, the apparition of his first wife, Grace Shelby (Annabelle Wallis), appeared a handful times in season five.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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 5 Apr. 2026.
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