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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.

This Friday, in Miami, they will share a ring in a professional heavyweight contest that still feels faintly unreal.

From BBC

"It's an unreal feeling. I grew up here, it couldn't be a better feeling and hopefully we progress to the final."

From BBC

“It’s been an unreal year from start to finish,” Palmer said.

From Los Angeles Times

"From a mental standpoint, I do live in a reality that's unreal a lot of the time," the star says in the first episode.

From BBC

Here in this capital city of three million people, the drumbeat of war feels distant and unreal.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.