unreality

noun

un·​re·​al·​i·​ty ˌən-rē-ˈa-lə-tē 

1

a

: the quality or state of being unreal : lack of substance or validity

b

: something unreal, insubstantial, or visionary : figment

2

: ineptitude in dealing with reality

Synonyms

• chimera
• conceit
• daydream
• delusion
• dream
• fancy
• fantasy
• phantasy
• figment
• hallucination
• illusion
• nonentity
• phantasm
• fantasm
• pipe dream
• vision

Examples of unreality in a Sentence

a sci-fi author who seems to have preferred the unrealities of his own fiction to the realities of the world about him

Recent Examples on the Web

There was a woozy unreality about that first glimpse. —Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025

Schwarzenegger’s hand getting enmeshed in the T-1000’s liquid skull emphasizes unreality, yet every time a Terminator throws the other against another machine, it’s done with the strength of human force. —Vikram Murthi, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2024

But scientists are finding these imaginings useful, as the machines dream up riots of unrealities that have helped researchers track cancer, design drugs, invent medical devices, uncover weather phenomena and even win a Nobel Prize. —Natasha Frost, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2024

Four centuries after Galileo, the United States has become an epicenter of unreality. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

unreality

noun

un·​re·​al·​i·​ty ˌən-rē-ˈal-ət-ē 

1

a

: the quality or state of being unreal : nonexistence

an air of unreality about the place

b

: something unreal or imaginary : figment

2

: inability to deal with reality