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mirage

noun

mi·ragemə-ˈräzh How to pronounce mirage (audio)

:an optical (seeopticalsense 2a) effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density

:somethingillusory and unattainable like a mirage

A peaceful solution proved to be amirage.

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Mirage and Vision

Mirage comes from the French verbmirer ("to look at"), which is related tomirror.Mirer, itself, is from Latinmīrārī ("to wonder at"), the ancestor of the commonly seenadmire,miracle, andmarvel.

Choose the Right Synonym formirage

delusion,illusion,hallucination,mirage mean something that is believed to be true or real but that is actually false or unreal.

delusion implies an inability to distinguish between what is real and what only seems to be real, often as the result of a disordered state of mind.

delusions of persecution

illusion implies a false ascribing of reality based on what one sees or imagines.

anillusion of safety

hallucination implies impressions that are the product of disordered senses, as because of mental illness or drugs.

suffered from terrifyinghallucinations

mirage in its extended sense applies to an illusory vision, dream, hope, or aim.

claimed a balanced budget is amirage

Examples ofmirage in a Sentence

A peaceful solution proved to be amirage.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage.Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.Send us feedback.

Into the Desert’s Dreamscape Contrast the Delta’s lushness with the otherworldly Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, where the horizon stretches in all directions like a whitemirage.—

Marni Granston,Travel + Leisure, 14 July 2025Future systems will generate endlessmiragesto trick the attackers down endless rabbit holes, exhausting their desire to succeed.—

Carlo Tortora Brayda,Forbes.com, 25 June 2025The sibling suggested that Kaufmann’s involvement in the film world was not a completemirage.—

Melanie Goodfellow,Deadline, 24 June 2025Read the full Cancer Daily Horoscope Leo (July 23 - August 22)Watch formirageson the road.—

Usa Today,USA Today, 18 June 2025See All Example Sentences formirage

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, frommirer "to look at, gaze at" (going back to Old French, going back to Latinmīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at") +-age-age — more atadmire

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined atsense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use ofmirage was in 1800

See more words from the same year

Rhymes formirage

See All Rhymes formirage

Browse Nearby Words

mirador

mirage

Miramar

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Mirage.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mirage. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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Kids Definition

mirage

noun

mi·ragemə-ˈräzh How to pronounce mirage (audio)

:an illusion that gives the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of light passing through layers of air having different temperatures

Medical Definition

mirage

noun

mi·ragemə-ˈräzh How to pronounce mirage (audio)

:an optical effect that is sometimes seen at sea, in the desert, or over a hot pavement, that may have the appearance of a pool of water or a mirror in which distant objects are seen inverted, and that is caused by the bending or reflection of rays of light by a layer of heated air of varying density