surrealism

noun sur·re·al·ism \ sə-ˈrē-ə-ˌli-zəm also -ˈrā- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

: the principles, ideals, or practice of producing fantastic or incongruous imagery or effects in art, literature, film, or theater by means of unnatural or irrational juxtapositions and combinations

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surrealist

play \sə-ˈrē-ə-listalso, -ˈrā-\ noun or adjective

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Recent Examples of surrealism from the Web

Then, in the 1920s, André Breton, the inventor of surrealism, rediscovers it and calls it the key work in the history of the modern movement.

— National Geographic, "Where Did Picasso’s Genius Come From?," 14 Apr. 2018
The result was that the upright staircase leant the upside-down room a cheeky touch of MC Escher’s surrealism.

— michael ward, Curbed, "‘Trading Spaces’ and finding an unlikely queer icon in Hildi Santo-Tomas," 5 Apr. 2018
Their avant-garde and bold designs made them the poster children for London’s ongoing floral revolution, which saw an explosion in radical creativity and surrealism.

— elise taylor, Vogue, "Meet the Makers Behind Kendall Jenner’s Unconventional Floral Headpiece," 14 Mar. 2018
Robbin’ Season looks like it’ll press violence, disaster and surrealism into a claustrophobic microcosm, a curious mix that looks promising for what was already one of cable television’s most groundbreaking shows.

— brian josephs, The Root, "Atlanta Is Back With More of That Weird Stuff," 1 Mar. 2018
And the camp surrealism of Turandot and Shinok appears to be drifting out of favor.

— alex halberstadt, Town & Country, "The Surreal Thrill of Moscow Dining," 9 Oct. 2015
Look at these three films: Get Out will be heralded as the standard of black surrealism, possibly sparking its own genre entirely.

— mark anthony green, GQ, "Black Panther's Daniel Kaluuya Is in His Own Space Now," 16 Feb. 2018
The series delves into Lynchian surrealism and opts for unsettling anguish over jump cuts.

— andrew r. chow, New York Times, "What’s on TV Wednesday: ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Queer Eye’," 7 Feb. 2018
Ms Shore identifies the surrealism exemplified in the war as an enduring cultural divide.

— The Economist, "Dark mirrorA view of Ukraine’s revolution from the square," 1 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'surrealism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.