SURREAL Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

surreal

adjective

Definition of surreal

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of surreal Jane Schoenbrun’s latest movie, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, is shocking, emotional, provocative, numbing, warm, witty, and surreal. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026 After months of constant sickness, simply existing without nausea felt almost surreal. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 18 Aug. 2026 For Richardson-Whitfield, the recognition is both surreal and deeply personal. — Dominique Fluker, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The chance to observe a total solar eclipse doesn't come along very often and is truly surreal and magical. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for surreal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal

Adjective

But the question remained unsolved for polygons with irrational angles.

— Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026
As a result, the argument goes, today's spending is irrational because the hardware would need to be replaced too frequently to generate an attractive return on investment, known as ROI.

— , CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of irrational

Adjective

The animation is truly ugly, the characters moving at the framerate of a PowerPoint and looking less like the animals they’re supposed to be than weird hybrid troll creatures.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026
And when the Stray Cats and the Blasters brought their rockabilly revivals to the mainstream in the Eighties, the Cramps were just too weird and nasty for primetime.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of weird

Adjective

Twenty-four hours after moving to London from New Zealand, Lavanda wanted to go out for a cocktail but felt strange going alone.

— Amen Galinato, CNN Money, 23 Aug. 2026
There are a lot of on-the-road songs about travels through this strange, heartbreaking, and beautiful planet.

— Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of strange

Adjective

There has been something almost absurd about Ferran Torres’ summer.

— Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
SpaceX’s Starlink constellation currently performs an average of 1,000 maneuvers a day to dodge potential collisions, a number that would have seemed absurd just a decade ago.

— Jonathan O'Callaghan, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of absurd

Adjective

Its unusual features give it a curious, almost surprised expression, helping people connect with a species rarely seen outside its coral home.

— Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Researchers used Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) to produce the experiment’s unusual probe.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of unusual

Adjective

But for a college freshman with a Venmo balance and a favorite team, the distinction is meaningless.

— Emily Stack, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026
On the surface to the casual fan, Saturday night’s preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals was a meaningless exhibition smack-dab in the middle of one of the toughest months of the year for football fans.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of meaningless

Adjective

But in each event—in the living act, the undoubted deed—there, some unknown but still reasoning thing puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Roosevelt surely understood that nameless, unreasoning, unjustified fear cannot be eradicated.

— New York Times, New York Times, 9 June 2026

Definition of unreasoning

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“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of surreal

adjective

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Synonyms of surreal

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Articles Related to surreal

Words of the Year: A Decade in Review

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