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

For best international film, Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" will vie with Brazil's surreal political thriller "The Secret Agent."

From Barron's

“But I believe in their mind what they had made up as Beast Mode is this larger-than-life, kind of surreal individual.”

From Los Angeles Times

Best international film is arguably the hardest to call of all, with Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" up against Brazil's surreal political thriller "The Secret Agent."

From Barron's

Residents described a tense, surreal atmosphere across the metropolis of 17 million people.

From The Wall Street Journal

Georgie said: "It still feels surreal that we all became parents on the very same day. We joked about it happening and then it actually did!"

From BBC