English

Face on Mars: an example of pareidolia.

Noun

pareidolia ‎(countable and uncountable, plural pareidolias)

1. 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.
   • 1993, Raymond Moody, with Paul Perry, Reunions: Visionary encounters with departed loved ones, page 13

     Pareidolia underlies several forms of divination.

   • 2006, Steve W. Martin, Heavy Hitter Selling: How Successful Salespeople Use Language and Intuition to Persuade Customers to Buy, page 150,

     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."

   • 2010, Rick Emmer, Loch Ness Monster: Fact Or Fiction?, page 81

     The most famous example of pareidolia is the familiar face of the Man in the Moon.

Related terms

• pareidolic

Translations

References

• Pareidolias
• The Skeptic’s Dictionary
• The Word Spy

Portuguese

Noun

pareidolia f (plural pareidolias)

1. pareidolia (tendency to interpret vague stimuli as something familiar)