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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Recent Examples of surreal
Feels so surreal, especially now moving into our THIRD season!
—
Caroline Blair, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
That plays out in the visually surreal musical sequence halfway through the movie, where, at Smoke and Stack’s juke joint, the blues is traced to gospel, funk, twerk music, West Coast gangsta rap, HBCU marching bands, and even Kanye West’s opulence.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 25 Apr. 2025
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hendry finally broke his silence on the unexpected WrestleMania moment, revealing the surreal circumstances surrounding his call-up.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Reminiscent of her striking visuals in the Louis Vuitton x Murakami collaboration, Zendaya appears larger than life—a playful, surreal perspective that echoes the artistic whimsy of that iconic collection.
—Mecca Pryor, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Caroline Blair, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
That plays out in the visually surreal musical sequence halfway through the movie, where, at Smoke and Stack’s juke joint, the blues is traced to gospel, funk, twerk music, West Coast gangsta rap, HBCU marching bands, and even Kanye West’s opulence.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 25 Apr. 2025
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hendry finally broke his silence on the unexpected WrestleMania moment, revealing the surreal circumstances surrounding his call-up.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Reminiscent of her striking visuals in the Louis Vuitton x Murakami collaboration, Zendaya appears larger than life—a playful, surreal perspective that echoes the artistic whimsy of that iconic collection.
—Mecca Pryor, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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Just discerning what worries are irrational and unproductive can be a great start in reducing them.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
1 May 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement The only thing falling quicker than Washington’s patience with the White House is the U.S. economy, which has been rocked by fears of a trade war fueled by escalating and irrational tariffs.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In this instance there was a weird misunderstanding about which some of the people on the WGA Board chose to assume the worst.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
10 May 2025
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My 16-year-old daughter and I have been searching for self-tanners that actually look natural, not orange, and don’t leave behind weird patches, streaks, or smells on our skin or clothes.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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From the window of his 46th-floor downtown office, attorney Scott Sheftall noticed a strange, solitary cloud that worried him.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2025
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Thankfully, Karr and his team knew where to look, starting with the strange way a common type of bacteria functions in fruit flies.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Now, at full boil, travelers are increasingly complaining about an unreasonable lack of legroom and other basic comforts.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
1 May 2025
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Add in at least $20 million to the athletics compensation pool via direct payments coming in the wake of the House settlement — the majority of which is ticketed for football at most P4 schools — and getting above $30 million isn’t unreasonable for a program like Ohio State or Texas.—
Sam Khan Jr.,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
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This week’s episode tackles the minefield of casting, as execs melt down over the racial politics of casting their absurd Kool-Aid tentpole.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
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Once again, that means going to absurd lengths in the quest to facilitate banter between pilots, even if some of those attempts hilariously crash and burn.—
EW Staff,
EW.com,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Nearly a hundred shiny black calves are frolicking in the pastures, including twin bulls (birthweight of 72 pounds each) whose mother is completely unruffled by this unusual occurrence and its maternal responsibilities.—
Susan Koch,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2025
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That’s not unusual, for people to send spritzes, but then the manager came out with a gift bag.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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Spraying meaningless reactions across your feed does nothing for your business.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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This team might be torn apart in the next few months and forgotten to history, a meaningless row in a basketball reference page.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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