as in irrational
very strange or unusual; having the quality of a dream
a surreal atmosphere at the festival The whole situation was completely surreal.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of surreal
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is its most impressive structure, a shining, almost surreal 1.78 million–square-foot complex with 82 domes and four minarets, clad in marble.
—
Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2025
Cross the surreal Arisaro salt flat and snap a picture at the Arita cone, or ride a 4x4 up the surrounding hills.
—Carola Fresno, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2025
Massey, a former University of Hawaii student, said the aftermath of the experience felt surreal.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
Using the Centerra Loveland Mobility Hub feels a bit surreal on a first go.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2025
Cross the surreal Arisaro salt flat and snap a picture at the Arita cone, or ride a 4x4 up the surrounding hills.
—Carola Fresno, Travel + Leisure, 2 Aug. 2025
Massey, a former University of Hawaii student, said the aftermath of the experience felt surreal.
—Will Ripley, CNN Money, 31 July 2025
Using the Centerra Loveland Mobility Hub feels a bit surreal on a first go.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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Our worries are often dismissed as irrational—planes are much safer than cars, etc.—
Elaine Godfrey,
The Atlantic,
6 Aug. 2025
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Nothing adds depth to an irascible curmudgeon quite like an irrational love of pets that do not love you back.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Like everybody else in the show, he’s squeezed by the various, weird incentives of a capitalist medical system.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
14 Aug. 2025
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Two-tone paint job and that weird hump of a trunk, remember?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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At the campaign’s first big canvassing event in mid-December, primary field director Tascha Van Auken noticed something strange happening.—
Mark Chiusano,
Time,
14 Aug. 2025
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The craft beer industry is in a strange place right now.—
Hudson Lindenberger,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The policy and specialist support environment is going to need to become more sophisticated, and more responsive to balancing needs and addressing conflict, unfairness and unreasonable requests / restrictions.—
Nancy Doyle,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina who studies organisms and ecosystems in radioactive regions, told the Times that the DOE's explanation that the wasps gathered legacy contamination for their homes is not unreasonable.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Interestingly, the Vance memes were far more surreal and absurd than South Park’s caricature, which retained the simple, bloated design of the first few images.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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These movies are brilliantly written, but above all will do anything to get a laugh, no matter how silly, how absurd, how ridiculous — how stupid.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Just to see John Turturro and Christopher Walken play lovers is so unexpected, so unusual and so well done.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
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Off-kilter stripe directions, unusual color combinations and details like denim colors update polos and rugby shirts.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Without fairness, the test (and winning) becomes meaningless—and for the rest of us, a huge bummer.—
Lindsey Witmer Collins,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The protester specifically said a letter Casten signed that day along with more than 90 other House Democrats, demanding an investigation into starvation reports in Gaza, was meaningless.—
Hank Beckman,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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