as in irrational
very strange or unusual; having the quality of a dream
a surreal atmosphere at the festival The whole situation was completely surreal.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surreal
Leah Morrison’s eclectic costuming, Isabella Monge’s whimsical production design and the intimacy of Bethany Michalski’s cinematography harmonize to give the movie a dreamy, almost surreal aesthetic.
—
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
That willingness to create deeply personal, almost surreal experiences defined Williams' work throughout his career.
—ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2025
Listen to this article Nestor Cortes experienced a surreal moment on Opening Day.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 28 Mar. 2025
However, everything since has been a surreal experience for the actress.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
That willingness to create deeply personal, almost surreal experiences defined Williams' work throughout his career.
—ArsTechnica, 1 Apr. 2025
Listen to this article Nestor Cortes experienced a surreal moment on Opening Day.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 28 Mar. 2025
However, everything since has been a surreal experience for the actress.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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Added to the chaos is the underlying rudimentary calculation of tariff levels that have produced wildly uneven and irrational effects on trading partners with no readily discernible policy value.—
Jerrold Lundquist,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The characters are believably upset and irrational for much of the play.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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So those [neoclassical] artists are to me, in a very weird sense, the very earliest photographers—except their medium was oil on canvas.—
Mark Holgate,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
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The first sign of Mom Fatigue is leaving weird stuff in the fridge.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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If some readers were befuddled by Mr. Holland’s strange and magical imagery, graphic artists were entranced.—
Penelope Green,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2025
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These stores typically feature eclectic collections of oddities, collectibles, curiosities, and decorative items that appeal to collectors and enthusiasts of the strange and unique.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The words were harsh but the logic was not unreasonable.—
George Caulkin,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
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This would not be an unreasonable proposition, considering the U.S. already pledged a security guarantee to Ukraine upon its return of all nuclear warheads to Russia by 1996, based on the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.—
Seung-Whan Choi,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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This whole exercise of proving the absence of antisemitism as a prerequisite to criticizing Israeli government policy is absurd.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Still, the sexist double standards around pockets have continued to be present in absurd ways.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The contract also maintains its unusual provision allowing Sanders to disclose any athletically related outside income to his superiors verbally, thus enabling him to follow NCAA bylaws while ensuring that no public paper trail is created for these earnings.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Cruise cancellations are relatively unusual but can happen for a number of other reasons, including when a ship is chartered or needs to go to dry dock.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Yes, the games are meaningless.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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Also; regardless if the Rockies are good or bad; shouldn’t they be applauded for bringing up prospects early and not pausing for a future control that might be meaningless?—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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