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illusionistic

illusionistic

1 8.4
That makes something look real or three-dimensional when it is not
  • adjective
  • /ɪˌluːʒəˈnɪstɪk/
translation icon : ilusionista
  • His sculptures feature illusionistic details that make them appear almost lifelike from certain angles.
  • illusionistic painting
  • illusionistic effects
  • illusionistic space

Examples

  • Illusionistic expression thus emerges in world history as a counterweight to naturalistic mimesis.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The artist skillfully used illusionistic techniques to give the painting a three-dimensional effect.

  • My work is not illusionistic in the normal sense of the word.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The paintings help to bring it all together into a linear image but not an illusionistic whole.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The illusionistic strategies that the group consistently employed threatened the viewer's experience of presence.

    Academic text (2014)
  • One of the remarkable aspects of Kris and Kurz's book was the attempt to consider illusionistic painting as much in relation to its maker as to its subject.

    Academic text (2002)
  • In addition, the paintings and prints with the illusionistic effects produced by European perspective and chiaroscuro opened up fresh ground for visual curiosities, wonders, and experiments.

    Academic text (2014)
  • All of the paintings from Giovio's collection contain text identifying the sitter on the canvas, with no illusionistic attempts to include architecture or furniture on which the text would be inscribed.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The Ottoman artists and their patrons, then, appreciated and chose to use but not replicate the illusionistic works in this official context, for they were interested in creating works that were at the opposite end of the spectrum from resemblance.

    Academic text (2013)
  • In her latest work, the illusionistic elements create a captivating depth that draws the viewer in.

Synonyms

illusory
vsillusionistic
12 7.0

Seeming to be real but not really there

focuses on creating three-dimensional appearance by illusion
illusionary
vsillusionistic
2 7.7

Appearing real but trying to trick your mind

aims to make things look three-dimensional through visual trickery
photorealistic
vsillusionistic
1 7.0

An image that looks almost exactly like a real photograph

aims to create a three-dimensional illusion rather than exact photographic copying
illusional
vsillusionistic
1 9.4

Appearing real when it is not

emphasizes three-dimensional look produced by illusion instead of real depth
illusive
vsillusionistic
1 8.2

Appearing real but not actually true

is specifically about making flat work appear three-dimensional by trickery
skeuomorphic
vsillusionistic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A design that makes an object on a screen look like a real item, like paper or a button

applies illusion to suggest three-dimensional real materials in flat media
pseudorealistic
vsillusionistic
8.3

A picture or video that looks like life but shows simple, changed details

focuses on creating three-dimensional realism by illusion rather than true detail
3D
vsillusionistic
3.2

Having height, width, and depth so things look real

uses illusion to produce a three-dimensional look rather than real depth
eye-deceiving
vsillusionistic
8.8

A visual effect that makes a picture or object look real when it is not

focuses on making two-dimensional art seem three-dimensional through trickery
docetic
vsillusionistic
9.9

Seeming sincere but actually shallow

is about creating a three-dimensional visual effect, not about true substance

How Realistic

realistic
65 4.1
illusionistic
1 8.4
stylized
11 5.9

Surface Forms

illusionistic positive

Morphology

illusionistic = illusion (transparent) = illusion + istic

Formed from the noun 'illusion' with the adjective-forming suffix '-istic', so its meaning 'relating to illusion' is directly inferable by learners.

Etymology

Illusionistic comes from illusion, which comes from an old Latin word meaning 'to trick' or 'to play', and the ending -istic means 'relating to'. So illusionistic describes something made to look real even though it is a trick, like a painting that seems three-dimensional.