vanishing point

Meanings

1. 1nouncountabletechnical

   In a drawing or picture with perspective, the spot on the horizon where parallel lines seem to meet and disappear.

   Grammar: Countable: one-point perspective has one vanishing point, two-point has two.

   Patterns

   • the vanishing point of something
   • toward the vanishing point

   The railway tracks meet at the vanishing point on the horizon.

   The teacher asked us to mark the vanishing point before drawing the street.

   In two-point perspective, a building has two vanishing points.

2. 2nounsingularfigurative

   The stage at which something becomes so small or weak that it practically no longer exists.

   Grammar: Often used in the phrase reach the vanishing point.

   Patterns

   • reach the vanishing point
   • at the vanishing point

   His patience had reached the vanishing point.

   The profit margin was close to the vanishing point.

   Support for the plan fell to the vanishing point.

Word forms

Common combinations

mark the vanishing point

Mark the vanishing point lightly with a pencil.

converge at the vanishing point

The lines converge at the vanishing point.

a single vanishing point

The painting uses a single vanishing point.

reach the vanishing point

Her interest reached the vanishing point.

place the vanishing point

Place the vanishing point near the middle of the page.

Synonyms and how they differ

horizon point

Horizon point is rare and describes only the position, while vanishing point names the idea in perspective.

focal point

Focal point is where attention goes, not where lines meet, so it is not a perspective term.

Word family

vanish verb

to disappear suddenly

vanishing adjective

becoming rare or disappearing

perspective noun

a way of showing depth on a flat surface

Commonly confused: vanishing point or horizon line?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “vanishing point”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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