mirror image

noun

1

a

: something that has its parts reversely arranged in comparison with another similar thing or that is reversed with reference to an intervening axis or plane

b

: the direct opposite

2

: image sense 4

Synonyms

• alter ego
• carbon
• carbon copy
• clone
• counterpart
• doppelgänger
• doppelganger
• double
• duplicate
• duplication
• facsimile
• fetch
• image
• likeness
• look-alike
• match
• picture
• replica
• ringer
• spit
• spitting image
• twin

Examples of mirror image in a Sentence

The left side of the building is a mirror image of the right.

looking at the idealistic intern, the elderly physician could not help but see the mirror image of himself 40 years earlier

Recent Examples on the Web

The race became a mirror image of its status when Harris’ numbers peaked in the days following her excellent debate performance. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024

The idea of someone else trying to replace our hero as All Might’s successor is an intriguing one that the show’s never really tapped into before, plus there’s a lot of fun to be had with the dark mirror image concept that’s become so entrenched in superhero lore. —David Opie, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2024

Cowlicks may run clockwise on one twin and counterclockwise on the other. Gestures or movements Gestures or movements can also be manifestations of mirror image twinning. —Pamela Prindle Fierro, Parents, 22 July 2024

That said, the sheer number of neurons doesn’t adequately account for human cognition — your brain is more than the inflated mirror image of a chimpanzee’s. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

mirror image

noun

: something that has its parts joined together in much the same way as those of something else except that each part of one thing is directly opposite to the corresponding part of the other thing and located on the opposite side of, the same distance away from, and facing in the same way toward or away from an axis or plane between the two things

the two sides of an animal with bilateral symmetry are mirror images of each other

Medical Definition

mirror image

noun

: something that has its parts reversely arranged in comparison with another similar thing or that is reversed with reference to an intervening axis or plane