mirage

noun

mi·​rage mə-ˈräzh 

1

: an optical (see optical sense 2a) effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density

2

: something illusory and unattainable like a mirage

A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.

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Mirage and Vision

Mirage comes from the French verb mirer ("to look at"), which is related to mirror. Mirer, itself, is from Latin mīrārī ("to wonder at"), the ancestor of the commonly seen admire, miracle, and marvel.

Choose the Right Synonym for mirage

delusion, illusion, hallucination, mirage mean something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal.

delusion implies an inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real, often as the result of a disordered state of mind.

delusions of persecution

illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

an illusion of safety

hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifying hallucinations

mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is a mirage

Examples of mirage in a Sentence

A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.

Recent Examples on the Web

The catch is that at least some of the JUMBOs are probably mirages. —Quanta Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023

About an hour from the Holland Tunnel, take a right off Route 130 after the Dunkin’, file into a stadium-size parking lot, and, just past the electric pylon, a mirage appears: a bronze statue of a skinny yogi and, beyond it, swirls of stone fluffed up into meringue peaks. —Justin Davidson, Curbed, 9 Nov. 2023

But Coppola, never one to fall back on easy, moralizing judgments — nor to disentangle sadness from joy, its natural companion — doesn’t deny or condemn that mirage’s seductive power. —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023

Nearly 50 years to the day after the Yom Kippur war of 1973, Israel has again been taken by surprise by a sudden attack, a startling reminder that stability in the Middle East remains a bloody mirage. —Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2023

Unless this hype represents some major mirage, these are not your uncle’s Lions. —Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2023

However, a battle of wills threatens to tear them apart as the mirage of their online personas begins to clash with their real-life ambitions. —Josie Howell | [e-mail], al, 4 June 2023

Still, the split is so contentious here many are now questioning whether the prior sense of unity was a mirage, as events underlay how cultural clashes can flourish even in towns otherwise politically homogenous. —Tim Craig, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023

This is a mirage that will protect Hamas and guarantee more violence. —The Editorial Board, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from mirer "to look at, gaze at" (going back to Old French, going back to Latin mīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at") + -age -age — more at admire

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

mirage

noun

mi·​rage mə-ˈräzh 

: an illusion that gives the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of light passing through layers of air having different temperatures

Medical Definition

mirage

noun

mi·​rage mə-ˈräzh 

: an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density