as in illusion
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
a sci-fi author who seems to have preferred the unrealities of his own fiction to the realities of the world about him
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Recent Examples of unreality
Through its official media, ISIS stoked support around the world for its vivid unreality—the Salafi jihadist utopia—and presented a comprehensive and exactingly consistent picture of what life there was supposedly like.
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Charlie Winter, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2017
Yes, the unreality of Penelope’s fable-like frequency can be discombobulating; seasoned outdoors enthusiasts and Alone heads will probably pull their hair out at the lack of realistic detail.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
Some kinds of hallucination, various psychedelic hallucinations among them, combine a sense of unreality with perceptual vividness, as does lucid dreaming.
—Anil K. Seth, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2019
Biden’s Presidency may have offered a measure of stability and sanity to those reeling from the unreality of the Trump years, but his reëlection campaign did not.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unreality 
Charlie Winter, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2017
Yes, the unreality of Penelope’s fable-like frequency can be discombobulating; seasoned outdoors enthusiasts and Alone heads will probably pull their hair out at the lack of realistic detail.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2024
Some kinds of hallucination, various psychedelic hallucinations among them, combine a sense of unreality with perceptual vividness, as does lucid dreaming.
—Anil K. Seth, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2019
Biden’s Presidency may have offered a measure of stability and sanity to those reeling from the unreality of the Trump years, but his reëlection campaign did not.
—Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unreality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality
Noun
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With an incoming administration likely to stall or roll back green initiatives, now was the time to double down on renewable solutions, not to hedge bets on fossil fuel stopgaps that offer, at best, an illusion of progress.Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025
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Creating the illusion of pulling a gun on officers is a common suicide-by-cop move, Weiss said.Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Backlist sales soared, especially with romance and fantasy authors like Colleen Hoover and Sarah J. Maas.Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 11 Jan. 2025
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Opening outside of the top 10 at the domestic weekend box office is the Robbie Williams fantasy music biopic Different Man, which opened in 1,291 theaters nationwide.Tim Lammers, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Mercurial, vengeful and fixated on forming a safe space for Mormons, Brigham Young stops at nothing to see his dream realized.Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2025
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Fall asleep and dream about being slowly forced, as if by some mechanized peristalsis, through the digestive tract of a huge synthetic worm that then deposits me into a lightless industrial kitchen.Jay Katsir, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Its juicy cheeseburgers and sweet, sticky Hershey's brand milkshakes and sundaes were the stuff of daydreams.Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024
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These are features that California daydreams are made of, and this emergent scene is luring visitors to an outpost 70 miles southeast of downtown San Diego.Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024
Noun
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As Sara’s delusions start to involve the game show’s host and live studio audience on TV start to mock her, her refrigarator also comes alive and attacks her.Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 14 Jan. 2025
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Yet everything that goes up must come down, and hubris is one of the major symptoms of delusions of grandeur.Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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California Wildfire Live Updates: Strong Winds Expected Today—Death Toll Reaches 16 Strategic vision is key to Day’s approach.Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
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Within a year, hardly a... Clarence Page: Jimmy Carter’s funeral brought a rare and much-needed vision of peace Edward Keegan: Has Donald Trump given up his interest in architecture?Armando L. Sanchez, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near unreality
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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