mirage

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noun mi·rage \ mə-ˈräzh \

Definition of mirage

1 :an optical (see optical 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.

See mirage defined for English-language learners

See mirage defined for kids

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Examples of mirage in a Sentence

A peaceful solution proved to be a mirage.

Recent Examples of mirage from the Web

With all the cocktail’s tools tableside, the patron places the acorn on the miniature forest floor, then pours warm water over the dry ice to create a mirage of roiling fog.

— jenny berg, Vogue, "There’s Now a Virtual Reality Cocktail (and Yes, You Do Get a Real Drink)," 23 Aug. 2017
But for the enslaved population, freedom was still a distant mirage.

— katie nodjimbadem, Smithsonian, "Newly Uncovered Documents Address the Mystery of One Slave’s Life," 18 Aug. 2017
Five other top-20 companies are also Venezuelan, a mirage caused by currency controls combined with the world’s fastest inflation.

— christine jenkins, Bloomberg.com, "Venezuelan Currency Madness Valued Local Bank More Than Apple," 11 Aug. 2017
Lucy finds the first splatter of vomit shimmering like dark mirage.

— Longreads, "And How Much of These Hills Is Gold," 3 Aug. 2017
His fast start was a mirage, but the dreadful stretch that followed was probably an illusion, too.

— pat fitzmaurice, SI.com, "Detroit Lions Fantasy Football 2017 Preview: Matthew Stafford Is Rock-Solid Buy," 2 Aug. 2017
The entire sequence feels like a mirage, or a dream dance, like the technicolor trip from Singing in the Rain transposed onto seedier surroundings.

— rachel syme, New Republic, "The Constrained Elegance of Room 104," 29 July 2017
The crusade that animated — and bound — conservatives for seven years proved to be a mirage, an objective without a solution.

— dan balz, Washington Post, "A Republican Party at war with itself hits the wall on health care," 18 July 2017
That’s a mirage, say experts — and in some cases, a mistake.

— hannah seligson, Cosmopolitan, "Your Mobile Apps Are More Dangerous Than You Think," 15 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mirage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

mirage and Vision

A mirage is a sort of optical illusion, a reflection of light that can trick the mind into interpreting the sight as an apparently solid thing. It makes sense, therefore, that the word mirage has its roots in the concept of vision. Mirage was borrowed into English at the dawn of the 19th century from the French verb mirer ("to look at"), which also gave us the word mirror. Mirer in turn derives from Latin mirari ("to wonder at"). Mirari is also the ancestor of the English words admire, miracle, and marvel, as well as the rare adjective mirific (meaning "marvelous").

Origin and Etymology of mirage

French, from mirer to look at, from Latin mirari

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1800

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of 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

MIRAGE Defined for English Language Learners

mirage

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noun

Definition of mirage for English Language Learners

: something (such as a pool of water in the middle of a desert) that is seen and appears to be real but that is not actually there
: something that you hope for or want but that is not possible or real

MIRAGE Defined for Kids

mirage

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noun mi·rage \ mə-ˈräzh \

Definition of mirage for Students

:an illusion sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over hot pavement that looks like a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are glimpsed

Medical Dictionary

mirage

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noun mi·rage \ mə-ˈräzh \

medical Definition of mirage

: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