mirror image

noun

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

Definition of mirror image

1 a : something that has its parts reversely arranged in comparison with another similar thing or that is reversed with reference to an intervening axis or plane

b : the direct opposite

2 : image 3

See mirror image defined for English-language learners

See mirror image defined for kids

Examples of mirror image in a Sentence

The left side of the building is a mirror image of the right.
looking at the idealistic intern, the elderly physician could not help but see the mirror image of himself 40 years earlier

Recent Examples of mirror image from the Web

In any case, what’s certain is that Roseanne is no more likely to prompt a revolution in television programming trends than the successful revival of its cultural mirror image, Will & Grace.

— frank rich, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Only Knows Chaos," 5 Apr. 2018
Astronomers also witnessed what was either a mirror image of Icarus or an unrelated star in the lensing event.

— john wenz, Popular Mechanics, "Astronomers Use a Quirk of Physics to Spot the Most Distant Star Ever Seen," 2 Apr. 2018
But in a mirror image of the findings on a gun ban, support for universal background checks often polls in excess of 90 percent.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "More Americans say guns are the country’s top issue than ever have before," 29 Mar. 2018
Andersen probably wouldn’t recognize his Little Mermaid in Mr. del Toro’s nameless, male amphibian, yet the two tales are mirror images of the same fantasy: Love conquers all.

— amanda foreman, WSJ, "How Mermaid-Merman Tales Got to This Year’s Oscars," 22 Mar. 2018
But the sequel is far from a perfect mirror image of its predecessor due to the glaring absence of Alan Rickman, who died last January.

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "#TheLIST:Ultimate Investment Pieces," 17 May 2017
The Trump administration’s lawsuit against California is a mirror image of the Obama administration’s 2010 challenge to Arizona.

— anthony johnstone, Houston Chronicle, "Would Thomas Jefferson side with California against Sessions' immigration lawsuit?," 19 Mar. 2018
In any conflict the tendency is to become the mirror image of your opponent.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Myth of the Centrist Holy Grail," 16 Mar. 2018
Failure of the auto insurance reform bill followed a debate that was almost a mirror image of the property insurance fight.

— ron hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Auto, home insurance reform bills fail in Legislature," 13 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of mirror image

1885

mirror image Synonyms

MIRROR IMAGE Defined for English Language Learners

mirror image

noun

Definition of mirror image for English Language Learners

: something that looks like something else but with its left and right sides reversed
: someone who looks like someone else

Medical Dictionary

mirror image

noun

medical Definition of mirror image

: something that has its parts reversely arranged in comparison with another similar thing or that is reversed with reference to an intervening axis or plane