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Synonyms

afterimage

American  
[af-ter-im-ij, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌɪm ɪdʒ, ˈɑf- /

noun

Psychology.

  1. a visual image or other sense impression that persists after the stimulus that caused it is no longer operative.

afterimage British  
/ ˈɑːftərˌɪmɪdʒ /

noun

  1. Also called: aftersensation.   photogene.  a sustained or renewed sensation, esp visual, after the original stimulus has ceased

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of afterimage

1875–80; translation of German Nachbild; see after, image

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

By night’s end, after the applause faded, one could almost feel the afterimage settling into New York’s political memory.

From Slate • Jun. 30, 2025

With an orange and yellow face, teal-ringed eyes and oversize lips, it could be the glowing afterimage of someone who’s looked in the mirror a moment too long.

From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024

Once, when I was a teenager, I saw a fireball that was so bright that it left an afterimage on my eye.

From Scientific American • Sep. 8, 2023

You should see an afterimage of the Norwegian flag in its correct colors.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

She was still blinking away the afterimage of Rasalas’s gleaming teeth, and the knowledge that it was all her fault.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.