unreality

noun

un·​re·​al·​i·​ty ˌən-rē-ˈa-lə-tē 

1

a

: the quality or state of being unreal : lack of substance or validity

b

: something unreal, insubstantial, or visionary : figment

2

: ineptitude in dealing with reality

Synonyms

• chimera
• conceit
• daydream
• delusion
• dream
• fancy
• fantasy
• phantasy
• figment
• hallucination
• illusion
• nonentity
• phantasm
• fantasm
• pipe dream
• vision

Examples of unreality in a Sentence

a sci-fi author who seems to have preferred the unrealities of his own fiction to the realities of the world about him

Recent Examples on the Web

But as with its aww-shucks hero, there’s more to it than meets the eye; something much stranger lurks behind the slight Twilight Zone unreality of its very movie-ish Midwest. —A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025

All those books teaching parents how to take care of their children—the first year, the first eighteen months, the first five or ten years—none of them addresses this difficulty: for parents and for children, the border between reality and unreality is not always clearly marked. —Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025

As the novel progresses, this sense of unreality sharpens. —Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025

The initial blitzkrieg against USAID in January had a feel of unreality: the natural reaction was denial. —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for unreality

• abnormality
• cardinality
• commonality
• communality
• cordiality
• corporeality
• criminality
• criticality
• functionality
• generality
• geniality
• hospitality

Kids Definition

unreality

noun

un·​re·​al·​i·​ty ˌən-rē-ˈal-ət-ē 

1

a

: the quality or state of being unreal : nonexistence

an air of unreality about the place

b

: something unreal or imaginary : figment

2

: inability to deal with reality