1. the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random or ambiguous visual pattern
Usage: psychology, perception; commonly used in everyday contexts

Examples

• Many people experience pareidolia when they see faces in clouds or in the pattern of tree bark.
• The famous 'face on Mars' is an example of pareidolia—our brains interpreting random rock formations as a familiar shape.
• Children often exhibit pareidolia when they imagine animals or creatures in their bedroom shadows.
• Pareidolia explains why we might see a face in the front of a car or a smile in a piece of toast.
• The phenomenon of pareidolia shows how our brains are wired to recognize patterns, especially faces.
• Psychologists study pareidolia to understand how perception and imagination interact in the human mind.