trick of the light
noun phrase
: something appearing different from what actually is as a result of the quality of light
The paint looked blue, but it was just a trick of the light.
Examples of trick of the light in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On each side, the craggy rock faces sped back down into the valley below us, as though merely a trick of the light or of perspective.
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Christian Kracht, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
There was a time when Marilyn Monroe emerged as an illusion, a trick of the light produced between herself, her studio’s massive press apparatus, and an adoring and vampiric public.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 9 June 2023
Sports, in this telling, is being used as a distraction, a sleight of hand, a trick of the light.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 9 June 2023
Butterfly Valley, Fethiye, Turkey No, that isn’t a trick of the light but the 105 different butterfly species this beach is known for.
—Julia Buckley, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2023
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Christian Kracht, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
There was a time when Marilyn Monroe emerged as an illusion, a trick of the light produced between herself, her studio’s massive press apparatus, and an adoring and vampiric public.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 9 June 2023
Sports, in this telling, is being used as a distraction, a sleight of hand, a trick of the light.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 9 June 2023
Butterfly Valley, Fethiye, Turkey No, that isn’t a trick of the light but the 105 different butterfly species this beach is known for.
—Julia Buckley, Travel + Leisure, 12 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Trick of the light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trick%20of%20the%20light. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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