afterimage

noun

af·​ter·​im·​age ˈaf-tər-ˌi-mij 

plural afterimages

1

: a usually visual sensation occurring after stimulation by its external cause has ceased

2

: a lasting memory or mental image of something

The problem with the heros of myths is that, although they were once a reality or rooted in one, they rarely matched their lovely afterimage.

—Irvin Faust

Examples of afterimage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of the best songs are less than two minutes, coming and going with eerie focus, leaving lingering afterimages. — Brian Howe, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026

Those truths come together in a series of ands and buts, which layer upon and contradict each other, like the afterimages of Tullock in Stefania Bulbarella’s video design. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

Fire to create an afterimage of yourself that projects a beam of light in Valorant. — Mike Stubbs, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

The digital detectors used by the camera suffered from an issue called quantum efficiency hysteresis, or QEH—when WF/PC took an image of a bright object, there was an afterimage left behind that would mess up later observations. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

after- + image entry 1

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for afterimage

• image
• scrimmage

Kids Definition

afterimage

noun

af·​ter·​im·​age -ˌim-ij 

: a usually visual sensation continuing after the stimulus causing it has ended

Medical Definition

afterimage

noun

af·​ter·​im·​age -ˌrim-ij 

: a usually visual sensation occurring after stimulation by its external cause has ceased

called also aftersensation, aftervision