as in illusion
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 illusion
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, 24 Feb. 2026
These optical illusion pants are made from a supersoft sweatpant-like material that’s screen-printed with denim details.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2026
Blue squares of sky cut through the empty windows, while tapered marble columns create an optical illusion that makes the two-story structure even grander.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Think of hair microblading as an optical illusion, just like eyebrow microblading.
—Tatiana Dias, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
La Jolla Light, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
These optical illusion pants are made from a supersoft sweatpant-like material that’s screen-printed with denim details.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2026
Blue squares of sky cut through the empty windows, while tapered marble columns create an optical illusion that makes the two-story structure even grander.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Think of hair microblading as an optical illusion, just like eyebrow microblading.
—Tatiana Dias, Vogue, 9 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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Oprah loves her designer sweatpant jeans (hello, Rag & Bone), and these Dlooda wide-leg versions deliver the same polished illusion without the splurge.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Miuccia Prada, herself a billionaire, has no illusions that the runway is a space for political grandstanding.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At this point, making the playoffs outright is a pipe dream for the Trail Blazers.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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But again, Messi to MLS was once a pipe dream.—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Mercury puts on its best evening apparition of 2025 for Northern Hemisphere observers during these two weeks.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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As the 14-year-old child of a poor family in 1858, Saint Bernadette experienced numerous apparitions of a young woman in a cave or grotto, seemingly the Virgin Mary, asking for a chapel to be built on the site.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rather than a somewhat normal for Hollywood bakeoff, Paramount plans to kind of smush the two scripts together into one IP chimera.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Look behind that curtain and see that the great and powerful Oz is a chimera.—
Laura Washington,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusion. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
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