chromatic aberration

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noun Optics.

the variation of either the focal length or the magnification of a lens system with different wavelengths of light, characterized by prismatic coloring at the edges of the optical image and color distortion within it.

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Also called chromatism.

Origin of chromatic aberration

First recorded in 1825–35

Words nearby chromatic aberration

chromaffin tumor, chroma key, chromat-, chromate, chromatic, chromatic aberration, chromatic adaptation, chromatic colour, chromaticism, chromaticity, chromaticity coordinates

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use chromatic aberration in a sentence

Inside the bus, the walls are plastered with famous figures over swirls of chromatic paint.
On the Road With Kesey's (Drug-Free) Acid Test|Nina Strochlic|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Civil War was clearly an aberration in American society and of profound significance.
The Man Who Made America: Simone Winchester Talks New Book|Eric Herschthal|October 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In fact, the very notion of restraint has become an aberration.
The 1 Percent Army: Andrew Bacevich on How America Lost the Military|Phil Klay|September 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His actions may have been an aberration but his thinking, sadly, is not.
How To Take Purim Seriously|Shaul Magid|February 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST

But as the report pointed out time and time again, that dark era of violence in America was not some aberration.
Sorry, But Don’t Expect Any Change After Newtown|Buzz Bissinger|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
If the genus is Chromatic, as M. Ruelle is disposed to think, they are g-a-a♯-b-d-e-f.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
Along with this change we have to note the comparative disuse of the Enharmonic and Chromatic divisions of the tetrachord.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
The outlines of things under these rainbow-tinted undulations produced the chromatic effects of optical glasses made too convex.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo
It contains nothing notable, except perhaps the descending chromatic successions of chords of the sixth.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
Even a thinking machine must have its moments of aberration.
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration

noun

a defect in a lens system in which different wavelengths of light are focused at different distances because they are refracted through different angles. It produces a blurred image with coloured fringes

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

Medical definitions for chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration

Color distortion in an image produced by a lens, caused by the inability of the lens to bring the various colors of light to focus at a single point.chromatism

Scientific definitions for chromatic aberration

chromatic aberration

See under aberration.