optical illusion

noun

plural optical illusions

: a misleading image presented to the vision

Zebras look like optical illusions to me. Which are they—black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

—Al Robinson

The sun, moon, and planets circle above the terrestrial plane in the region of the equator. Their apparent rising and setting is an optical illusion caused by atmospheric refraction …

—Ranger Rick

Examples of optical illusion in a Sentence

The closer building looks larger than the farther one, but it's just an optical illusion. The two buildings are actually the same size.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the last awards ceremony, Heidi Klum wore a gown with cutouts that gave the optical illusion of a bra. —Marissa Muller, WWD, 2 Feb. 2025

The last sequence is an astonishing optical illusion to behold. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024

Mercury in retrograde is an optical illusion without consequences for us and our planet. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 24 Nov. 2024

Jupiter turns retrograde on Oct. 9 and will last through Feb. 4, 2024, an astrological period that is intense in the cosmos and an astronomical period that is an optical illusion from our perspective on Earth. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

optical illusion

noun

: illusion sense 1

Medical Definition

optical illusion

noun

: visual perception of a real object in such a way as to misinterpret its actual nature