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.
Da Savage says it feels "surreal" as she listened to Linkin Park growing up and all the attention means her song Innit is going to be released next week.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
Three years later, she has now opened a shop in Cardiff and said her profits will help fund her law degree, describing the success of her side hustle as "completely overwhelming" and "a surreal experience".
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
“Erin made fun of me on the day because I kept staring at her fake pregnant belly, because it was so surreal for me,” Quaid recalls.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026
Among the video’s more surreal moments are depictions of Trump riding a camel through the desert, traveling through India on a motorcycle, appearing as an anime-style warrior and sharing tacos with world leaders.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
Walking through the mall in formal wear is surreal.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
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.
