1
as in absurd
conceived or made without regard for reason or reality
an unreal claim that is distant from the slightest hint of truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mythic
not real and existing only in the imagination
the unreal world of TV sitcoms
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unreal
The pressure to succeed is completely overwhelming, and the constant comparison to something that is unreal can become too much for anyone.
—
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Fielder showed an exacting sense of how grotesquely unreal reality shows could get, as well as a deep awareness of how the sausage gets made.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Meeting your life-long love as a child at church may seem unreal.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 28 Apr. 2025
Spectators and commentators alike were taken aback as the incident unfolded due to the unreal farmer's tan of Phillips.
—Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreal
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
Fielder showed an exacting sense of how grotesquely unreal reality shows could get, as well as a deep awareness of how the sausage gets made.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
Meeting your life-long love as a child at church may seem unreal.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 28 Apr. 2025
Spectators and commentators alike were taken aback as the incident unfolded due to the unreal farmer's tan of Phillips.
—Mark Weinstein, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreal
Adjective
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There’s the undercurrent of politics stirring animus between the neighbors, with Canadians angered by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his absurd aside saying perhaps Canada should be the 51st U.S. state.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
5 June 2025
-
The concept itself is absurd, given the modest park features.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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The bizarre blackouts are first explained with a bizarre hit-and-run that shook Larkin months earlier.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
8 June 2025
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To some, this may sound bizarre, laughable, or even just plain sad.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 June 2025
Adjective
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That’s the assessment in Ari Aster’s Eddington, which views that collective national trauma through the microcosm of a fictitious New Mexico small town.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 May 2025
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The trials and tribulations of the fictitious protagonist, however, have precedents.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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To write off the Israeli leader would be foolish, especially with new elections not required until late 2026.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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His writing is so human—his people are foolish in such human ways.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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But what were his motivations for the sculptural cut that reduced the body by a third, literally disabling all of the fetish’s functions except for those of its primary feature, the design, thereby intensifying it, endowing it even with an imaginary, almost futuristic acceleration?—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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Dairy farmers should not be the villains in an imaginary climate change narrative - they should be respected as part of the backbone of our state's rural economy and heritage.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
Adjective
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Amanda learned in like 10 seconds, which is insane.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Mar. 2025
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The emu egg—a two pound, eight-inch ovoid with a sultry teal shell gently speckled in pale green—seemed like just the right absurdist final flourish for an already insane endeavor.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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And as one dad recently shared on Reddit, the days of explaining things with talk of storks or other mythical tales are likely over.—
Christian Dashiell,
Parents,
7 June 2025
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Acceptance means acknowledging that zero-failure AI systems are mythical.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Adjective
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The film takes place in 2020 — yes, that 2020 — in the most visceral way, with the anti-mask local sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) of the fictional Eddington, New Mexico, facing off against the town’s COVID-guideline-advocate mayor, played by Pedro Pascal (the second of his three summer releases).—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
10 June 2025
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Standing in for the Duke of Hastings’ fictional Clyvedon Castle in season one, this real-life Baroque masterpiece is located in North Yorkshire, England, and has been in the Howard family for more than three centuries.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreal. Accessed 14 Jun. 2025.
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