Müller-Lyer illusion

noun

An optical illusion consisting of a stylized arrow whose midpoint appears to be closer to the tail end.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounMüller-Lyer illusion (plural Müller-Lyer illusions)

plural Müller-Lyer illusions

  1. An optical illusion consisting of a stylized arrow whose midpoint appears to be closer to the tail end.

Origin

Devised by Franz Carl Müller-Lyer (1857–1916), a German sociologist, in 1889.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Müller-Lyer illusion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/M%C3%BCller-Lyer%20illusion

MLA

“Müller-Lyer illusion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/M%C3%BCller-Lyer%20illusion. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Müller-Lyer illusion,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/M%C3%BCller-Lyer%20illusion.

Source: Müller-Lyer illusion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.