as in illusions
an image that tricks a person's vision
Some may dismiss what we witnessed that night as an optical illusion, but we firmly believe it was a UFO.
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Recent Examples of optical illusions
Shinnecock’s fairways create optical illusions off the tee, the bunkering is treacherous and the greens are, in some places, designed to repel the ball from the putting surfaces.
—
Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Noisy machines whir, vibrate and rotate, mixing light and shadow, sound, movement and optical illusions.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The event will enable children ages 9-12 to explore optical illusions by experimenting with magnifying glasses and mirrors to bend light, create effects and use Oculus Quest VR headsets to brew potions, mix chemistry compounds and conjure creations.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
But aggregates are often optical illusions.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Crew members rushed about, tending to the set’s various optical illusions, which included an Escher-like maze of stairwells, some real, some painted on a matte board, and two performers, playing Chinese folk music, who on closer inspection turned out to be a pair of paper cutouts.
—Dennis Zhou, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
German vision scientist Michael Bach has a whole host of optical illusions on his website.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Known for surrealistic designs and sculptural shapes, Harri transformed mostly wide-leg jeans into optical illusions with through prints and gradients.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 29 Sep. 2025
Brief, startling moments of illumination are everywhere in its stories; so are all kinds of optical illusions and distortions.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Noisy machines whir, vibrate and rotate, mixing light and shadow, sound, movement and optical illusions.
—Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The event will enable children ages 9-12 to explore optical illusions by experimenting with magnifying glasses and mirrors to bend light, create effects and use Oculus Quest VR headsets to brew potions, mix chemistry compounds and conjure creations.
—La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
But aggregates are often optical illusions.
—Katica Roy, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
Crew members rushed about, tending to the set’s various optical illusions, which included an Escher-like maze of stairwells, some real, some painted on a matte board, and two performers, playing Chinese folk music, who on closer inspection turned out to be a pair of paper cutouts.
—Dennis Zhou, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025
German vision scientist Michael Bach has a whole host of optical illusions on his website.
—Diana Hubbell, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2025
Known for surrealistic designs and sculptural shapes, Harri transformed mostly wide-leg jeans into optical illusions with through prints and gradients.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 29 Sep. 2025
Brief, startling moments of illumination are everywhere in its stories; so are all kinds of optical illusions and distortions.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusions
Noun
-
Rustin and Epstein—who recently opened an intimate second space in London for Edel Assanti—were under no illusions.—
George Nelson,
ARTnews.com,
10 June 2026
-
This lifelong Black Catholic bears no illusions about the sins of my church.—
Laura Washington,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Music promoters, both craving the one-upmanship and genuine satisfaction of getting a lucrative band back on a stage, have more money at their disposal than ever before to make their pipe dreams a reality.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
13 Nov. 2025
-
The stalker pipe dreams need to stop here.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Today, the massive complex attracts paranormal investigators who report apparitions, voices, and other unexplained phenomena.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
15 June 2026
-
Why then, when discussing body image after weight changes, is our culture reaching for the language of vexing apparitions and death?—
Virgie Tovar,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusions. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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