Afterimage Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms afterimage American [af-ter-im-ij, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌɪm ɪdʒ, ˈɑf- /

noun

Psychology.

1. a visual image or other sense impression that persists after the stimulus that caused it is no longer operative.

afterimage British / ˈɑːftərˌɪmɪdʒ /

noun

1. Also called: aftersensation. photogene. a sustained or renewed sensation, esp visual, after the original stimulus has ceased

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of afterimage

1875–80; translation of German Nachbild; after, image

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.

Stoschek builds her collection around what she calls “art with an afterimage,” seeking out pieces that linger in the mind, then subtly change register.

From Los Angeles Times

You’ll feel loss, but the afterimage of this singular woman’s belief in finding light is what will burn.

From Los Angeles Times

With an orange and yellow face, teal-ringed eyes and oversize lips, it could be the glowing afterimage of someone who’s looked in the mirror a moment too long.

From New York Times

Bodies — theirs and others — fill in the space, but their afterimage reverberates.

From New York Times

Once, when I was a teenager, I saw a fireball that was so bright that it left an afterimage on my eye.

From Scientific American

Related Words

• appearance
• eye
• perception
• view
• vision

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.