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
But aggregates are often optical illusions.
—
Katica Roy, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
In small spaces, a glass or acrylic coffee table can provide an optical illusion, taking up minimal visual real estate while still giving you a surface to set down a drink or burn your favorite candle.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 5 Jan. 2026
There was some kind of optical illusion happening: Many people saw it as blue and black; others as white and gold.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
This pair, on the other hand, is lined with a thick layer of hidden fleece inside — a toasty warm optical illusion.
—Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Katica Roy, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
In small spaces, a glass or acrylic coffee table can provide an optical illusion, taking up minimal visual real estate while still giving you a surface to set down a drink or burn your favorite candle.
—Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 5 Jan. 2026
There was some kind of optical illusion happening: Many people saw it as blue and black; others as white and gold.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
This pair, on the other hand, is lined with a thick layer of hidden fleece inside — a toasty warm optical illusion.
—Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
-
And the safety of inaction is an illusion.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Lea Haddad's luscious, curly mane no doubt employs some invisible layers to lighten the load, but the overall appearance gives the illusion of the same sharp, heavy-ended finish created by blunt cuts.—
Krista Carter,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most of that likely would be a pipe dream for Arlington Heights.—
David Greising,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Professional Women’s Hockey League was but a pipe dream in February 2022 when Kendall Coyne Schofield emphatically declared the urgency needed to address a fractured sport with unrealized potential.—
John Wawrow,
Twin Cities,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Though the governor left little behind to solve the ultimate mystery — where the staircase led —a rare apparition surfaced from Roman Germany, preserved for 2,000 years due to the Romans’ advanced building techniques.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
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And just as the questions are sinking into our souls, some mist starts to rise up from the floorboards of Tower 12 and turn itself into something like a human form, a specter, an apparition, a boy made real.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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 23 Feb. 2026.
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