surreal
Americanadjective
-
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.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of surreal
First recorded in 1935–40; back formation from surrealism ( def. ); see sur- 1 ( def. ), real 1 ( def. )
Explanation
If you see a goldfish fly out of a melting clock and offer you tango lessons, you’re having a surreal experience! Either that or you’re asleep and dreaming. Things that are surreal combine unrelated elements to create a bizarre scene. The adjective surreal comes from Surrealism, a movement that produced films, writing, painting, and other art forms that often contained irrational, disjointed images. So, surreal describes something that’s a bizarre mix of elements, often jarring and seemingly nonsensical. Images can be surreal, like the melting clocks in Salvador Dali's paintings, but so can strange, dream-like moments in everyday life.
Vocabulary lists containing surreal
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Grade 9, List 5
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The Things They Carried
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When the last lights switch off in the Ed Sullivan Theater, the curtain also drops, perhaps permanently, on the brand of surreal comedy that former “Late Show” host David Letterman gifted to broadcast TV.
From Salon • May 21, 2026
To help bring his vision to life, Riley enlisted costume designer Shirley Kurata, the Oscar-nominated stylist behind the equally surreal "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
From Barron's • May 20, 2026
If you already thought the stock market’s booming reactions to this geopolitically chaotic economic moment were irrational—well, it’s about to get much more surreal, because the rules governing the trade are about to change dramatically.
From Slate • May 15, 2026
On stage, he re-enacted the storyline, starting at an office desk, before escaping into a colourful and surreal vista of circuitboards and robotic dancers.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
They all came to my grandfather’s funeral, but while I loved their warmth and sympathy, it also felt very surreal.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
