"pareidolia" meaning in English

See pareidolia in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/ [Received-Pronunciation], /ˌpæɹ.iˈdoʊ.li.ə/ (note: Mary–marry–merry distinction), /ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdoʊ.li.ə/ (note: Mary–marry–merry distinction), /ˌpɛɹ.iˈdoʊ.li.ə/ (note: Mary–marry–merry merger), /ˌpɛɹ.aɪˈdoʊ.li.ə/ (note: Mary–marry–merry merger) Audio: en-us-pareidolia.ogg [General-American] Forms: pareidolias [plural]
Rhymes: -əʊliə Etymology: Borrowed from German Pareidolie, constructed from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”) + -ία (-ía). Etymology templates: {{bor|en|de|Pareidolie}} German Pareidolie, {{der|en|grc|παρα-||alongside}} Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) Head templates: {{en-noun|~}} pareidolia (countable and uncountable, plural pareidolias)
  1. (psychology) The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music. Tags: countable, uncountable Categories (topical): Psychology, Senses Derived forms: pareidolic Translations (tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar): بَارِيدُولِيَا (bārīdūliyā) [feminine] (Arabic), 空想性錯視 (Chinese Mandarin), 空想性错视 (kōngxiǎngxìng cuòshì) (Chinese Mandarin), pareidolie [feminine] (Czech), pareidolie [feminine] (Dutch), pareidolia (Finnish), paréidolie [feminine] (French), Pareidolie [feminine] (German), παρειδωλία (pareidolía) [feminine] (Greek), pareidolia (Hungarian), pareidolia [feminine] (Italian), пареидо́лија (pareidólija) [feminine] (Macedonian), pareidolia [feminine] (Polish), pareidolia [feminine] (Portuguese), pareidolie [feminine] (Romanian), парейдоли́я (parejdolíja) [feminine] (Russian), pareidolia [feminine] (Spanish), pareidoli [common-gender] (Swedish), pareidolia (Turkish)

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for pareidolia meaning in English (7.2kB)

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "de",
        "3": "Pareidolie"
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      "expansion": "German Pareidolie",
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    {
      "args": {
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        "2": "grc",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "alongside"
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      "expansion": "Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”)",
      "name": "der"
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  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from German Pareidolie, constructed from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”) + -ία (-ía).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pareidolias",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
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  "head_templates": [
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  "hyphenation": [
    "par‧ei‧do‧lia"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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      "categories": [
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          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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          "word": "pareidolic"
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      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1868 July, John Sibbald, The British Journal of Psychiatry, volume 13, page 238",
          "text": "This last is called by Dr. Kahlbaum, changing hallucination, partial hallucination, perception of secondary images, or pareidolia.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1993, Raymond Moody, Paul Perry, Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones, New York, N.Y.: Random House, page 13",
          "text": "Pareidolia underlies several forms of divination.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Steve W. Martin, “Choosing Your Battles”, in Heavy Hitter Selling: How Successful Salespeople Use Language and Intuition to Persuade Customers to Buy, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, page 150",
          "text": "Pareidolias aren't solely limited to images. When I was a youngster, I remember listening to The Beatles' song \"Strawberry Fields\" over and over to hear what seemed to be \"I buried Paul.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Rick Emmer, “Nessies of the New World”, in Loch Ness Monster: Fact or Fiction? (Creature Scene Investigation), New York, N.Y.: Chelsea House Publishers, Infobase Publishing, page 81",
          "text": "Pareidolia is a state of mind where a vague or unclear image is perceived to be something recognizable, regardless of whether it's something you expect to see. The most famous example of pareidolia is the familiar face of the Man in the Moon.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        "(psychology) The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "bārīdūliyā",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "بَارِيدُولِيَا"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "word": "空想性錯視"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "kōngxiǎngxìng cuòshì",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "word": "空想性错视"
        },
        {
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolie"
        },
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolie"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "word": "pareidolia"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "paréidolie"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Pareidolie"
        },
        {
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "pareidolía",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "παρειδωλία"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "word": "pareidolia"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolia"
        },
        {
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "pareidólija",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "пареидо́лија"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolia"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolia"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolie"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "parejdolíja",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "парейдоли́я"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "pareidolia"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "pareidoli"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
          "word": "pareidolia"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
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      "ipa": "/ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpæɹ.iˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry distinction"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry distinction"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpɛɹ.iˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry merger"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpɛɹ.aɪˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry merger"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-əʊliə"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-pareidolia.ogg",
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/En-us-pareidolia.ogg",
      "tags": [
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  "word": "pareidolia"
}
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      "name": "bor"
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      "args": {
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        "4": "",
        "5": "alongside"
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      "expansion": "Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from German Pareidolie, constructed from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “alongside”) + εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “image”) + -ία (-ía).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pareidolias",
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
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        "English terms borrowed from German",
        "English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
        "English terms derived from German",
        "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
        "English terms with audio links",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English uncountable nouns",
        "Rhymes:English/əʊliə",
        "Rhymes:English/əʊliə/5 syllables",
        "en:Psychology",
        "en:Senses"
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        {
          "ref": "1868 July, John Sibbald, The British Journal of Psychiatry, volume 13, page 238",
          "text": "This last is called by Dr. Kahlbaum, changing hallucination, partial hallucination, perception of secondary images, or pareidolia.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1993, Raymond Moody, Paul Perry, Reunions: Visionary Encounters with Departed Loved Ones, New York, N.Y.: Random House, page 13",
          "text": "Pareidolia underlies several forms of divination.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Steve W. Martin, “Choosing Your Battles”, in Heavy Hitter Selling: How Successful Salespeople Use Language and Intuition to Persuade Customers to Buy, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, page 150",
          "text": "Pareidolias aren't solely limited to images. When I was a youngster, I remember listening to The Beatles' song \"Strawberry Fields\" over and over to hear what seemed to be \"I buried Paul.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Rick Emmer, “Nessies of the New World”, in Loch Ness Monster: Fact or Fiction? (Creature Scene Investigation), New York, N.Y.: Chelsea House Publishers, Infobase Publishing, page 81",
          "text": "Pareidolia is a state of mind where a vague or unclear image is perceived to be something recognizable, regardless of whether it's something you expect to see. The most famous example of pareidolia is the familiar face of the Man in the Moon.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "psychology",
          "psychology"
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        [
          "tendency",
          "tendency"
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        [
          "interpret",
          "interpret"
        ],
        [
          "vague",
          "vague"
        ],
        [
          "stimulus",
          "stimulus"
        ],
        [
          "known",
          "known"
        ],
        [
          "observer",
          "observer"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(psychology) The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "psychology",
        "sciences"
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  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdəʊ.li.ə/",
      "tags": [
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      ]
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    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpæɹ.iˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry distinction"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpæɹ.aɪˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry distinction"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpɛɹ.iˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry merger"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌpɛɹ.aɪˈdoʊ.li.ə/",
      "note": "Mary–marry–merry merger"
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    {
      "audio": "en-us-pareidolia.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/ea/En-us-pareidolia.ogg/En-us-pareidolia.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/En-us-pareidolia.ogg",
      "tags": [
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "bārīdūliyā",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "بَارِيدُولِيَا"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "word": "空想性錯視"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "kōngxiǎngxìng cuòshì",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "word": "空想性错视"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolie"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolie"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "word": "pareidolia"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "paréidolie"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Pareidolie"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "pareidolía",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "παρειδωλία"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "word": "pareidolia"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolia"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "pareidólija",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "пареидо́лија"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolia"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolia"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolie"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "parejdolíja",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "парейдоли́я"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "pareidolia"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "pareidoli"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar",
      "word": "pareidolia"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pareidolia"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-06-04 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (e9e0a99 and db5a844). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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