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
During its rising phase, the moon often appears larger and brighter due to various optical illusions, including the moon illusion, in which our brains misinterpret its size when framed by foreground objects.
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Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2024
The entire book seems to flip back and forth, like an optical illusion, from literary novel to genre thriller and back again.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Both activities depended on legerdemain and made elaborate use of optical illusions.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
Perhaps the most impressive animation produced for the film is a chase in which Tack trails the thief through a palace filled with optical illusions.
—Tim Brinkhof, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for optical illusion 
Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 18 Oct. 2024
The entire book seems to flip back and forth, like an optical illusion, from literary novel to genre thriller and back again.
—Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 30 Sep. 2024
Both activities depended on legerdemain and made elaborate use of optical illusions.
—Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2024
Perhaps the most impressive animation produced for the film is a chase in which Tack trails the thief through a palace filled with optical illusions.
—Tim Brinkhof, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for optical illusion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for optical illusion
Noun
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Part of the show’s magic is that performers can literally be anybody or anything and the listener completes the illusion with their mind’s eye.Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2024
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The illusion of the regime's power was as important to Assad as Saydnaya prison, as the multiple branches of the intelligence services, military brigades and their brutal physical force.James Longman, ABC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Those numbers, though, may be a pipe dream for many people.Tori Latham, Robb Report, 23 Nov. 2024
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Working for your pipe dreams in unconventional ways might spare you the need to open your wallet.Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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To have a follower recount a feat of superhuman strength, or even an apparition, is hard for a layperson to fathom but has the advantage of having happened in the past and out of the view of nonbelievers.Michelle Weber, Longreads, 8 Nov. 2024
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But there can be more to a scary movie than just screaming apparitions or a gradually diminishing number of coeds with a bad sense of self-preservation.Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near optical illusion
Cite this Entry
“Optical illusion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/optical%20illusion. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.
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