optical illusion
Americannoun
noun
-
an object causing a false visual impression
-
an instance of deception by such an object
Etymology
Origin of optical illusion
First recorded in 1785–95
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 presenting Satan's fall as a violent physical event instead of a purely spiritual allegory or optical illusion, Dante may have helped move Western thought toward the idea that celestial objects can directly reshape Earth.
From Science Daily • May 11, 2026
It’s an optical illusion really, for the TTD options are not getting more expensive in terms of price as the earnings date approaches, but are remaining the same.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026
Doing something your brain tells you is structurally impossible was like inhabiting an optical illusion and we all laughed as we scaled the multi-tiered falls with the occasional assistance of a tethered rope.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
Stormont officials have commissioned consultants to help address an "optical illusion" along a Belfast footpath that has caused pedestrians to trip and fall.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2025
The hairpin crown was an optical illusion: it’s just hair, graying and cropped short.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
