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looking glass

A looking glass is an object with a surface so reflective that you can see yourself in it — in other words, a mirror. You might check out your reflection in a looking glass before you leave the house in the morning.

Looking glass is a somewhat old-fashioned, literary way to say "mirror." The word glass on its own can mean "mirror" too, coming from a root meaning "to shine." After Lewis Carroll's book "Through the Looking-Glass," was published in 1871, looking glass came to also mean "the opposite of what is normal or expected," like a confusing looking glass world or a mysterious looking glass philosophy.

Definitions of looking glass
  1. noun
    a mirror; usually a ladies' dressing mirror
    synonyms: glass
    see moresee less
    type of:
    mirror
    polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘looking glass'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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