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Synonyms

unreal

American  
[uhn-ree-uhl, -reel] / ʌnˈri əl, -ˈril /

adjective

  1. not real reis or actual.

  2. imaginary; fanciful; illusory; delusory; fantastic.

  3. lacking in truth; not genuine; false; artificial.

    unreal propaganda serving as news.
unreal British  
/ ʌnˈrɪəl /

adjective

  1. imaginary or fanciful or seemingly so

    an unreal situation

  2. having no actual existence or substance

  3. insincere or artificial

"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

Other Word Forms

  • unreally adverb

Etymology

Origin of unreal

First recorded in 1595–1605; un- 1 + real 1

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.

Those glimpses of humanity had a way of rendering the mercenary atmosphere in the tent city incredibly disorienting—almost unreal.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

But the characters are expressive, and the medium is used to unreal ends, which is, after all, what cartoons are good for.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

There’s a place called Charrd, which does unreal burgers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

"The pressure of the Olympics really gets you... it's unreal," an emotional Malinin told journalists afterwards.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

The waves are splashing, and the white dunes against the blue sky are unreal.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

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.