Definition of surrealism
: 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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Recent Examples of surrealism from the Web
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And the filmmakerly execution here (episode director: Robin Wright) gave each Shocking Development a hint of surrealism.
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This 1836 work — in which a witless fop is assumed to be a powerful state functionary by corrupt politicians in the provinces — infuses scathing satire with giddy surrealism.
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Selfhood and images, imagination and environment, converge as never before, even as surrealism, or, simply, the cinema of the impossible, has become even more commonplace, thanks to C.G.I.—for that matter, thanks to Snapchat filters—
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Notions of the sub- or unconscious will be objectified and obscured as quick and dirty surrealism dominates the creative use of video.
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.
Origin and Etymology of surrealism
French surréalisme, from sur- + réalisme realism
First Known Use: 1925
Other Literature Terms
SURREALISM Defined for English Language Learners
surrealism
playDefinition of surrealism for English Language Learners
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: a 20th-century art form in which an artist or writer combines unrelated images or events in a very strange and dreamlike way
Learn More about surrealism
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See words that rhyme with surrealism Britannica English: Translation of surrealism for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about surrealism
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