Explanation
Surreality is a characteristic of being extremely disorienting and bizarre. The surreality of seeing your dog pedaling a unicycle will make you realize you're having that strange dream again. Surreality comes from Surrealism, a European art movement that started after World War I and is known for images like Salvador Dali's painting of melting watches. The word itself means "beyond realism" in French, and surreality is distinguished by the sense that things seem real but are so illogical and unsettling that they can't possibly be. Sometimes everyday life seems like a bizarre dream, its surreality making you pinch yourself to see if you're actually asleep.
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.
Chaon’s writing evokes the surreality of its setting, but the novel is also an affecting story about the nature of acceptance.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2025
“You have to embrace what Noel brings to a show that has an element of fantasy and surreality to it,” he says.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2024
"My blonde hair and your darker skin put us in the frame for total shock and surreality," said Mr McCarthy.
From BBC • Dec. 29, 2023
The remarkable dexterity of Mr. Soros’s supposed power has only added to the surreality of his critics’ charges.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2023
The sense of surreality had turned into an odd flutter in his chest, making him feel almost outside himself.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
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.
