surreal

American  

[suh-ree-uhl, -reel] / səˈri əl, -ˈril /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of surrealism, an artistic and literary style; surrealistic.

2. having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic.

   surreal complexities of the bureaucracy.

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Other Word Forms

• surreality noun
• surreally adverb

Etymology

Origin of surreal

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

Example Sentences

His Instagram post has since gone viral, leading to a "very surreal" start to the year.

From BBC

Readers of Kafka’s era were struck by the outlandish, surreal premise, but one of its most arresting aspects is how true-to-life the Samsa family’s responses to Gregor’s condition seem.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s so weird and so cool and so surreal. My mom gets to watch her son and her grandson play in the NBA at the same time.”

From Los Angeles Times

"My mom was here watching her son and her grandson. I don't even know how to wrap that all in my brain. It's so weird and so cool and so surreal."

From Barron's

“It’s really surreal to be a part of such a legacy and to be a valued player on the team.”

From Los Angeles Times