View synonyms for surreal

surreal

[ suh-ree-uhl, -reel ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of surrealism, an artistic and literary style; surrealistic.
having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic:
surreal complexities of the bureaucracy.

Origin of surreal¹

First recorded in 1935–40; back formation from surrealism ( def ); sur- ¹( def ), real ¹( def )

“It was a little bit surreal to know that this was unfolding there,” Coren said.

The insurrectionists seemed actors in a surreal episode of revolutionary play-acting in which the curtain was about to fall.

A slow, surreal tide of deformation has appeared throughout the city.

There followed a series of rooms and scenes, showing various horrors or surreal scenes.

But Fox always manages to push the boundaries and make things just a little surreal.

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