trompe-l'oeil

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a viewer marches down the nave toward the high altar, the apostles also come into view, on a trompe l’oeil ledge.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

Our eyes continue to be dazzled by optical tricks, such as trompe l’oeil patterns that collapse dimensions.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2024

One Street Grandma piece, inspired by a vintage Champion tee from the 1970s, features a trompe l’oeil image of blue overalls over a capacious, heavyweight, white cotton tee.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2023

He does all this with a combination of flat, saturated color, trompe l’oeil shadows and tiny, overlapping daubs of paint that split the difference between TV static and Ben-Day dots.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2023

It was a kind of aural trompe l’oeil.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall