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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of surreal
Features such as lips and eyes ballooned to unnatural proportions, and skin textures became metallic and surreal.
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Relegated by Israel’s bombs to this flimsy tent, the brothers said the previous few months have been surreal.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024
Drive across mostly empty prairie for an hour and come upon Sutton Bay and the place feels nearly surreal.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Staples turns that set-up into a hilarious and slightly surreal satire about the challenges facing Black entrepreneurs.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surreal 
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
Relegated by Israel’s bombs to this flimsy tent, the brothers said the previous few months have been surreal.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024
Drive across mostly empty prairie for an hour and come upon Sutton Bay and the place feels nearly surreal.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Staples turns that set-up into a hilarious and slightly surreal satire about the challenges facing Black entrepreneurs.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 5 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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The lines — in banana yellows, tangerine oranges, cranberry reds — twist and turn and suggest an irrational understanding of how the universe works.Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post, 16 Dec. 2024
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To prevent yourself from imposing irrational penalties, set up house rules that outline logical consequences in advance.Leslie Garisto Pfaff, Parents, 12 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are returning after 22 years to make 28 Years Later, though the original film, 28 Days Later, has remained one of cinema’s weirdest modern days stories.Paul Tassi, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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That was such a weird sensation—to just have paper towels stuffed deep in your skin.Julia Ries, SELF, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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At the time, federal law gave the Bureau a strange grab bag of investigative duties, ranging from interstate prostitution to antitrust violations.Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
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When Sandy goes missing, the line between reality and game blurs and Conor must venture into the strange world of OBEX to bring her home.Peter Debruge, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Left in the dust ‘Cruise’ driverless robot taxis are seen at a parking lot as California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revokes its self-driving car permit and citing ‘unreasonable risk to public safety’ in San Francisco, California, USA on October 24, 2023.Kristian Burt, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
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To determine whether those amounts posed an unreasonable risk of harm, the agency compared them to a specific benchmark — the highest concentration of formaldehyde measured by government monitors in outdoor air between 2015 and 2020.Sharon Lerner and Al Shaw, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But the series, like the film, shows that vampires are also multidimensional — vulnerable, emotional, funny, absurd — and completely out of place in the modern world.Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Dec. 2024
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Photo: Their lives often appear dramatic and borderline absurd.Daisy Jones, Vogue, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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While most incidents have come in New Jersey, other states, including Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York, have also reported unusual drone activity to law enforcement.Maya Homan, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024
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But when physicians look at a pool of unusual test results, the chaotic sequencing pattern could flag whether something more serious may be going on and the mother could benefit from additional testing, Bianchi said.Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Critics might argue that the opposition’s electoral victory was meaningless because Maduro ultimately retained power and intensified repression.Francisco Rodríguez, Foreign Affairs, 28 Nov. 2024
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The in-season tourney is, objectively, a meaningless competition.Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 22 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near surreal
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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