as in illusion
a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality
a sci-fi author who seems to have preferred the unrealities of his own fiction to the realities of the world about him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unreality
But as with its aww-shucks hero, there’s more to it than meets the eye; something much stranger lurks behind the slight Twilight Zone unreality of its very movie-ish Midwest.
—
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
As the novel progresses, this sense of unreality sharpens.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025
The initial blitzkrieg against USAID in January had a feel of unreality: the natural reaction was denial.
—Dylan Matthews, Vox, 28 Mar. 2025
All those books teaching parents how to take care of their children—the first year, the first eighteen months, the first five or ten years—none of them addresses this difficulty: for parents and for children, the border between reality and unreality is not always clearly marked.
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025
As the novel progresses, this sense of unreality sharpens.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2025
The initial blitzkrieg against USAID in January had a feel of unreality: the natural reaction was denial.
—Dylan Matthews, Vox, 28 Mar. 2025
All those books teaching parents how to take care of their children—the first year, the first eighteen months, the first five or ten years—none of them addresses this difficulty: for parents and for children, the border between reality and unreality is not always clearly marked.
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality
Noun
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Advertisement The difference in hurricane activity between the two oceans is actually more climatological illusion than fact.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Torches held by ancient hands would have given the tableau the illusion of movement.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Welcome to my annual fantasy hockey dynasty rankings at The Athletic.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Lamb’s seven catches for 110 yards look good, and will appease some fantasy football owners.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Everyone who shows up to his office tries to make one of his dreams come true.—
Debbie Day,
EW.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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This was the cleanest operation the Browns displayed since late in the 2023 season when Joe Flacco’s fever dream carried the Browns to the playoffs.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Designers leaned into loose, chemise-style dresses that evoked a European countryside sensibility (cue the daydream of wandering through a field of lilacs).—
Jalil Johnson,
Refinery29,
13 Aug. 2025
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Ellen retreats to her room and daydreams of her father, who understood his headstrong daughter.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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For an in-depth look at AI psychosis and especially the co-creation of delusions via human-AI collaboration, see my recent analysis at the link here.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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If someone is already at risk of paranoia or delusions, AI may validate their thoughts in a way that intensifies their beliefs.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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To bring this vision to life, Everton turned to Populous, the sports and entertainment design firm whose extensive back catalogue includes the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wembley and The Sphere in Las Vegas.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Working with Brian Rose, who spent the last five years trying to recreate the film with charcoal drawings, physical models of the sets, and researching storyboards and screenplay drafts, Showrunner will spend next two years to get as close as possible to Welles’ vision.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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