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

Costume designer Paul Tazewell, who collaborated with Thom Browne on Janelle Monáe’s optical illusion dress and designed Chappell Roan’s pink suit, benefited from online discussions. —Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 12 May 2025

There's also an optical illusions section that can be fun for children who like to be perplexed. —Anna Halkidis, Parents, 19 Apr. 2025

My favorite bits with him are his office decorations, frankly—the rabbit/duck optical illusion statue, showing his mutable nature, and the iceberg poster, hinting at hidden depths. —Ars Technica, 25 Mar. 2025

This stunning image by the Hubble Space Telescope contains an optical illusion. —Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2025

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