mirage
mirage — noun
- miragesingular
- miragesplural
1. A false picture of water, a distant building, or another object that appears in
A false picture of water, a distant building, or another object that appears in a desert or on a hot road. Hot air bends rays of light, so the thing you seem to see is not really there.
In the Sahara, Mayumi saw what looked like a lake — a mirage from heat.
mirage + caused by [hot air / desert conditions]
To Noor, the wet road ahead looked like water — a mirage from the heat.
mirage + be created by [heat]
Even experienced trekkers get fooled by a mirage that turns rocks into a town.
The shimmering patch on the road was a mirage, not a puddle of water.
Felipe pointed at what looked like an oasis — the guide said it was a mirage.
- illusion
a false perception; a mirage is a specific type of visual illusion caused by hot air
- optical illusion
an image that tricks the eye; more general than mirage
- hallucination
something imagined in the mind, not caused by real light — unlike a mirage
- reality
what actually exists, not a trick of the light
用法筆記
A mirage is a real optical effect that can be seen by multiple people at once, not a hallucination in someone's mind. People often use 'mirage' for desert scenes, but it also appears on hot roads and at sea.
2. A hope, wish, or idea that you really want yet can never reach in real life — fo
A hope, wish, or idea that you really want yet can never reach in real life — for example, the dream of getting rich without any effort.
Lukas chased the mirage of overnight fame before learning that success takes effort.
chase the mirage of [unreachable goal]
The promise of an easy, well-paid job was nothing but a mirage.
nothing but a mirage — dismissive pattern
Michael's plan to buy a seaside villa was a mirage he could never reach.
Many young athletes find that a pro sports career is a mirage few can achieve.
The politician's quick-fix promises were a mirage — the real problems ran much deeper.
- fantasy
a pleasant but unlikely situation created in the imagination; mirage sounds more unattainable
- pipe dream
informal, an impossible or very unlikely plan; similar to mirage but less literary
- illusion
a false belief; mirage specifically suggests something attractive but out of reach
用法筆記
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