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
As surreal as this exclusive experience is, the Illini are trying to take it all in while staying focused on the task at hand.
—
Ryan Baker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
The flurry of imagery provokes a surreal sort of whiplash.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
At Ulrik, these biomorphic forms echoed the surreal distortions that Bettina documented in Manhattan’s corporate architecture.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Having access to the network of former UConn superstars is still surreal for Vukosa, who grew up idolizing Breanna Stewart and attends the same high school as Hall of Famer Sue Bird and WNBA MVP Tina Charles.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Ryan Baker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
The flurry of imagery provokes a surreal sort of whiplash.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026
At Ulrik, these biomorphic forms echoed the surreal distortions that Bettina documented in Manhattan’s corporate architecture.
—Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
Having access to the network of former UConn superstars is still surreal for Vukosa, who grew up idolizing Breanna Stewart and attends the same high school as Hall of Famer Sue Bird and WNBA MVP Tina Charles.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
-
The selloff wasn’t irrational panic.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Techlash is not irrational fear of innovation.—
Maha Hosain Aziz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But coming into print is a weird transformation.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Capri Pants Capri pants, which had a moment in the 1950s and ’60s, and then again in the late ’90s and early 2000s, are one of those weird garments that shouldn’t work but somehow just do–especially with a little low-rise heel and a spaghetti strap top.—
Daisy Jones,
Vogue,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Stars wield power in professional sports, and that power can lead to some strange requests of their employers.—
Joe Vardon,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Pocahontas will arrive with her very own Yehakin and help unravel the mystery behind a strange phenomenon affecting the Moon and the tides around the Valley.—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Indeed, because deportation is not considered a criminal matter, the constitutional provisions protecting those accused and convicted of crimes do not apply, including prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures, providing a lawyer and requiring a jury trial.—
Erwin Chemerinsky,
Twin Cities,
8 Apr. 2026
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That has prompted constitutional concerns around the Fourth Amendment, which prevents unreasonable search and seizure.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The tongue-in-cheek and gleefully gory remake of a 1980s action fantasy is here for those needing some absurd escapism.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
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That push-and-pull is central to the show, which balances absurd, high-concept comedy with sharp emotional stakes.—
Sarah Rodman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Wen says that such unusual shapes could be useful in making a lab-on-a-chip for cell biology or drug development.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Apr. 2026
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At 516 feet in width, the unusual structure is roughly 22,000 times smaller than the actual Moon, which with a diameter of 2,159 miles could roughly fit the contiguous United States across one of its halves from east to west.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Yet there is still much to be gained from otherwise meaningless games, the team’s coach insisted after practice on Monday.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
The labor not yet automated is fragmented, meaningless, and nearly ready for AI takeover.—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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