unreal

adjective

un·​re·​al ˌən-ˈrē(-ə)l 

: lacking in reality, substance, or genuineness : artificial, illusory

also : incredible, fantastic

Synonyms

• absurd
• bizarre
• crazy
• fanciful
• fantastic
• fantastical
• foolish
• insane
• nonsensical
• preposterous
• wild

Examples of unreal in a Sentence

The town seemed as unreal as a movie set.

The fashion model looked unreal, like a doll.

I think it's unreal that he survived the accident.

Recent Examples on the Web

On one level all of this felt so unreal, things that had happened in another era and to another person, things, really, that had not happened. —Hazlitt, 2 Apr. 2025

His day was capped off with an unreal approach shot from 200 yards out on 18. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025

Arrival of The Manimal: Future Nuggets standout Kenneth Faried made his debut at the Pepsi Center in 2011 and went from a relative unknown to unreal. —Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 18 Mar. 2025

The sportswear titan has paired eight world-class creators with elite athletes to explore reinterpretations of unreal motion, according to a press release. —Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unreal

• afebrile
• bookmobile
• cochineal
• nonideal
• peroneal
• philomel
• popliteal
• snowmobile
• waterwheel
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal

Kids Definition

unreal

adjective

un·​re·​al ˌən-ˈrē(-ə)l 

-ˈri(-ə)l,

ˈən-

1

: not real, actual, or genuine : illusory

2

: fantastic sense 2