surrealism
a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.
Origin of surrealism
1Other words from surrealism
- sur·re·al·ist, noun, adjective
Words Nearby surrealism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use surrealism in a sentence
I loved his blend of Native American realism with just a touch of surrealism.
Sherman Alexie on His New Film, the Redskins, and Why It's OK to Laugh at His Work | William O’Connor | August 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHow did you develop this knack for inventing, and surrealism?
Michel Gondry on ‘Mood Indigo,’ Kanye West, and the 10th Anniversary of ‘Eternal Sunshine’ | Marlow Stern | July 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut to sit through an entire Jodorowsky film requires an extremely high tolerance for surrealism (or maybe LSD).
‘Jodorowsky’s Dune’ and the Allure of the Unmade Masterpiece | Caryn James | March 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWith the dekiltered surrealism Harold brought to that telling, he'd sometimes break through to what can only be called Art.
The Stacks: Harold Conrad Was Many Things, But He Was Never, Ever Dull | Mark Jacobson | March 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMany say that The Great Beauty is the new Fellini, with its handsome surrealism, baroque expressions, and casual opulence.
The New Fellini: Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘The Great Beauty’ | Jimmy So | November 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for surrealism
/ (səˈrɪəˌlɪzəm) /
(sometimes capital) a movement in art and literature in the 1920s, which developed esp from dada, characterized by the evocative juxtaposition of incongruous images in order to include unconscious and dream elements
Origin of surrealism
1Derived forms of surrealism
- surrealist, noun, adjective
- surrealistic, adjective
- surrealistically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for surrealism
A movement in art and literature that flourished in the early twentieth century. Surrealism aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control. Salvador Dali was an influential surrealist painter; Jean Cocteau was a master of surrealist film.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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