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View synonyms for trompe l'oeil

trompe l'oeil

[ French trawnp -yuh; English trawmp ley, loi ]

noun

  1. visual deception, especially in paintings, in which objects are rendered in extremely fine detail emphasizing the illusion of tactile and spatial qualities.
  2. a painting, mural, or panel of wallpaper designed to create such an effect.


trompe l'oeil

/ trɔ̃p lœj /

noun

  1. a painting or decoration giving a convincing illusion of reality
  2. an effect of this kind


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Word History and Origins

Origin of trompe l'oeil1

1895–1900; < French: literally, (it) fools the eye

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Word History and Origins

Origin of trompe l'oeil1

from French, literally: deception of the eye

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Example Sentences

It's not trompe-l'oeil for its own sake, but in order to make an imaginary, and otherwise impossible, intervention into nature.

Though the project reads like an editorial fashion shoot, it is a complete trompe l'oeil, composed in a virtual reality.

Its essence is illusion, I think, but illusion taken in a different sense from optical illusion—trompe-l'oeil.

In multiplying reforms, one only multiplies shams (trompe-l'oeil).

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