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
In this offbeat and surreal comedy, frustrated playwright Mark becomes addicted to huffing perfume to conjure
memories from a previous Italian summer vacation.
—
Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
The 24 original creations, including two non- alcoholic adaptations, will serve as liquid doorways for guests to experience Scarfe’s surreal and creative outlook on the world.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
The note kicked off a surreal, contentious exchange between Williams and Grenell, which the former shared screenshots of on Instagram.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
There followed a surreal half-time chat between Chapman and Poyet about his dismissal, with the game relegated to a sideshow, as fellow pundit Efan Ekoku shifted awkwardly in his seat.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Katcy Stephan, Variety, 16 Apr. 2025
The 24 original creations, including two non- alcoholic adaptations, will serve as liquid doorways for guests to experience Scarfe’s surreal and creative outlook on the world.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
The note kicked off a surreal, contentious exchange between Williams and Grenell, which the former shared screenshots of on Instagram.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2025
There followed a surreal half-time chat between Chapman and Poyet about his dismissal, with the game relegated to a sideshow, as fellow pundit Efan Ekoku shifted awkwardly in his seat.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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But here’s something important to consider: while the ick might seem like a spontaneous, irrational response, this might not always be the case.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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And then there’s the emotional, irrational lift of gilt and glory, the baroque architecture, the Renaissance art, the history stretching back to Jesus and Saint Peter.—
Howard Chua-Eoan,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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On the other hand, this three-month gap is a little weird.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
-
It’s been a weird year for some of the league’s best closers.—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The Bengals added Fairchild in the third, so adding another lineman while there were more pressing needs is strange, especially a raw lineman like Rivers.—
Mark Weinstein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
-
Moses’s book eddies around with the energy of someone reporting back from a very long and strange evening clicking through Wikipedia links, enjoying every chance to add a tangent.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Courts will not second-guess the safety measures employers adopt, even when those measures infringe on an employee’s privacy, unless the measures are unreasonable under the circumstances.—
Dan Eaton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2025
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Companies need to assess their higher costs, and then negotiate with the state regulators who try to protect ratepayers from unreasonable hikes.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Quarterly reports delayed by years would be absurd.—
Ingmar Rentzhog,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
While that isn't anywhere close to of being traded 10 times, being traded in four straight seasons is quite absurd.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Although not musicians, the Goldbergs quickly realized there was something unusual about their 3-year-old boy.—
Steve Rothaus,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2025
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For one group of six girls living in Waterloo, Canada, their lives took an unusual turn when a couple of very territorial geese decided to claim their front lawn as their own.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And the testing is meaningless unless people are also being connected to treatment as quickly as possible.—
Jennifer Lotito,
Forbes.com,
23 Apr. 2025
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Shaking your fist at the fools who started the First World War and condemned millions to a meaningless death seems jejune; historians teach us to say that the generals did their best under impossible conditions.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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