circle of confusion

Meanings

nouncircle of confusion (plural circles of confusion)

engineeringAn optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source.
Synonyms: blur circle, blur spot, circle of indistinctness, disc of confusion, disk of confusion

nounAn optical spot caused by a cone of light rays from a lens not coming to a perfect focus when imaging a point source.

Similar

blur circleblur spotcircle of indistinctnessdisc of confusion disk of confusion

Also see

Cite this entry

APA

circle of confusion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circle%20of%20confusion

MLA

“circle of confusion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circle%20of%20confusion. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “circle of confusion,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circle%20of%20confusion.