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
Often, anti-tails are an optical illusion, but 3I/ATLAS' is real.
—
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2025
Appearing at the left tip of NGC 646 is a second galaxy, known as PGC 6014—but their apparent closeness is merely an optical illusion; in truth, PGC 6014 is nearly 45 million light-years closer to Earth.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 24 Dec. 2025
That’s due to the brand’s Liquid Silk Technology, where micro-pigments in the formula scatter light as it’s refracted by the skin, quite literally creating an optical illusion a glowing complexion—all while still maintaining a lightweight feel.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Dec. 2025
Appearing at the left tip of NGC 646 is a second galaxy, known as PGC 6014—but their apparent closeness is merely an optical illusion; in truth, PGC 6014 is nearly 45 million light-years closer to Earth.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 24 Dec. 2025
That’s due to the brand’s Liquid Silk Technology, where micro-pigments in the formula scatter light as it’s refracted by the skin, quite literally creating an optical illusion a glowing complexion—all while still maintaining a lightweight feel.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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Everything that appears normal is an illusion, a bigger lie than The Big Lie.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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The creative team includes movement by Steven Hoggett, sets by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry and illusions by Jamie Harrison.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Launched at the Expo 2025 Osaka last year, what seemed like a pipe dream destined for a 2050 debut, is now expected to have a prototype ready decades ahead of schedule—with the first edition to launch in just four years.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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What began as a pipe dream in 2016’s sports media economy — building a subscription site centered around simply great sports journalism — became a rollicking reality.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Noun
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An apparition will appear before us.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2026
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The image combines each planet's nightly positions during separate 2025 apparitions, assembled by astrophotographer Petr Horálek, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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The Animal Legal Defense Fund, an animal advocacy organization, argued that if such chimeras gained humanlike awareness, they should be treated as human research subjects.—
Monika Piotrowska,
The Conversation,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusion. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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