as in irrational
very strange or unusual; having the quality of a dream
a surreal atmosphere at the festival The whole situation was completely surreal.
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Recent Examples of surreal
Inspired by a napkin sketch from his early days, the film brings a surreal world to life—one that Bennett says reflects the unfiltered energy of his creative journey.
—
Bryanna Symone, Essence, 10 July 2025
Shaped like a human heart and engineered to actually beat, the Schiaparelli necklace created a dramatic and surreal effect on the runway, where it was showcased by a model wearing a backward red dress.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 8 July 2025
But its recurring theme — Ed as a jealous interloper undermining owner Wilbur Post’s domestic life — can be read as a surreal meditation on masculinity, autonomy and repression in suburban America.
—Chris Reed, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
Exhibition celebrates the magical, surreal and fantasy works of more than a dozen artists.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Bryanna Symone, Essence, 10 July 2025
Shaped like a human heart and engineered to actually beat, the Schiaparelli necklace created a dramatic and surreal effect on the runway, where it was showcased by a model wearing a backward red dress.
—Renan Botelho, Footwear News, 8 July 2025
But its recurring theme — Ed as a jealous interloper undermining owner Wilbur Post’s domestic life — can be read as a surreal meditation on masculinity, autonomy and repression in suburban America.
—Chris Reed, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
Exhibition celebrates the magical, surreal and fantasy works of more than a dozen artists.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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In the case of mania, a mental health symptom where patients experience irrational self-belief and happiness, models responded correctly 80% of the time.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
13 July 2025
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This tracks with an observation made by the journalist David Epstein, who writes in Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World that athletes from tiny towns have irrational levels of success.—
Henry Abbott,
The Atlantic,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Despite not being a purveyor of nail products, Selena Gomez has established herself as something of a finger chameleon (Too weird?—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
8 July 2025
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The Rockies’ next head of baseball operations needs to come from outside their weird little world, but possess a feel for the challenges of building a winner at Coors Field.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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Ali spends a good chunk of time confused by the strange words whirling around him.—
Christopher J. Yates
July 9,
Literary Hub,
9 July 2025
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Nevertheless, the combination of strange email address and unrecognizable link address is a very strong indicator that this email is fake and should be binned.—
Barry Collins,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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In making arrests, the federal government allegedly went against both immigration laws and the Fourth Amendment, which protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, the plaintiffs argue.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
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Medical device safety alert: issued in situations where a medical device may present an unreasonable risk of substantial harm.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
3 July 2025
Adjective
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From the vantage point of 2025, this appears as absurd as suggesting that women’s soccer matches should be 70 minutes instead of 90, the same as in the men’s game.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
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The French super powerhouse has taken teams part since winning the UEFA Champions League crown on May 24, outscoring its foes by an absurd 21-1 margin.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Although Usonian in design, this house has an unusual hexagonal structure.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
14 July 2025
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That said, league officials presenting spending data and other economic information to owners and team leaders isn’t unusual.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The most likely candidates for an add would be the 2024 seventh-round pick Hanson or Driskell, but neither had an offensive snap last season outside of the team’s meaningless week 18 game against Denver.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 July 2025
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Choose one, and land in a place that reduces the number of meaningless games for a conference that plays more Group of Five and FCS cupcakes than any other Power Four league.—
Blake Toppmeyer,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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