optical illusion

noun

plural optical illusions

: a misleading image presented to the vision

Zebras look like optical illusions to me. Which are they—black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

—Al Robinson

The sun, moon, and planets circle above the terrestrial plane in the region of the equator. Their apparent rising and setting is an optical illusion caused by atmospheric refraction …

—Ranger Rick

Examples of optical illusion in a Sentence

The closer building looks larger than the farther one, but it's just an optical illusion. The two buildings are actually the same size.

Recent Examples on the Web

Eliza's black mermaid gown, meanwhile, from Murad's Pre-Fall 2026 collection, included a beaded optical illusion bodice with ornate embroidery. —Hannah Malach, InStyle, 22 May 2026

Striping, an optical illusion, comes from the color differences of grass blades bending in opposite directions. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 May 2026

The optical illusion reminded early settlers of the blockades of wooden stakes, or palisades, built around forts to ward off threats. —Literary Hub, 13 May 2026

Is kicker Spencer Porath an optical illusion? —Pete Sampson, New York Times, 7 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for optical illusion

• immunodiffusion
• allusion
• collusion
• conclusion
• confusion
• contusion
• delusion
• diffusion
• effusion
• exclusion
• extrusion
• inclusion

Kids Definition

optical illusion

noun

: illusion sense 1

Medical Definition

optical illusion

noun

: visual perception of a real object in such a way as to misinterpret its actual nature