pareidolia

American  

[pair-ahy-doh-lee-uh, pair-uh-] / ˌpɛər aɪˈdoʊ li ə, ˌpɛər ə- /

noun

1. the illusory perception of meaningful patterns or images of familiar things in random or amorphous data, as a face seen on the moon.

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pareidolia British  

/ ˌpæraɪˈdəʊlɪə /

noun

1. the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, as in considering the moon to have human features

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Etymology

Origin of pareidolia

First recorded in 1960–65; from German Pareidolien, plural of Pareidolie, equivalent to par(a)- ¹ ( def. ) + eidol(on) ( def. ) + -ia ( def. ), reinterpreted as a singular noun

Explanation

Pareidolia is the tendency to look at a random shape or pattern and imagine you can see a specific, familiar object in it. If you perceive a smiling face in an electrical outlet, you've experienced pareidolia. Humans are wired to make sense out of randomness, and pareidolia is one example of this. Anyone who's spent a summer afternoon finding dinosaurs, race cars, and rabbits in the clouds overhead can understand this phenomenon. Some people's brains are especially inclined to pareidolia, quick to see human faces in signs, cars, houses, or even grilled cheese sandwiches. Pareidolia is derived from the Greek para, "beside," and eidos, "images."

Example Sentences

Did you know that the phenomenon of seeing shapes and figures in our surroundings is called pareidolia.

From Space Scoop • Oct. 31, 2025

The human propensity to see familiar objects in ambiguous patterns is called pareidolia.

From Scientific American • May 17, 2023

While some of the Gaylor arguments have a surprising amount of persuasive force, others are probably more reflective of pareidolia, the human ability to make patterns and meaning out of randomness.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2022

But while Cézanne’s flirtation with and flights into abstraction are ever present — and with them the invitation to pareidolia — the show also reminds us how grounded the painter was in actual things.

From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2022

Psychologists still treat pareidolia as a clinical pathology or psychosis to see things "where they do not actually exist."

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2022