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
Contributing to this air of unreality is Kari Kankaanpää’s production design, in which everything feels a little heightened and stylized.
—
Catherine Bray, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
To hear about a mass shooting in another city is to feel one is at the periphery of ongoing history; but perversely, to live near the site of a shooting is to feel nothing has changed except that unreality has come closer.
—Karan Mahajan, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Yet even as Pym stalked him, slept with him, and pined after him, there was an element of unreality in her ardor, Harvey recalled.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Catherine Bray, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
To hear about a mass shooting in another city is to feel one is at the periphery of ongoing history; but perversely, to live near the site of a shooting is to feel nothing has changed except that unreality has come closer.
—Karan Mahajan, New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2025
Yet even as Pym stalked him, slept with him, and pined after him, there was an element of unreality in her ardor, Harvey recalled.
—Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality
Noun
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The Office Romance actress stole the show at the Netflix film’s New York City premiere on June 2, dazzling in a naked illusion corset gown that covered her curves in dreamy blooms.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
3 June 2026
-
Michael created the illusion of magic.—
Rodney Carmichael,
NPR,
3 June 2026
Noun
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Boston’s Freedom Trail is essential part of any trip in this city that’s a walker's dream—as long as the weather holds.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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My dream was always that people are literally catching their breath from laughing.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Founded in 1997 and now among Asia‘s largest showcases for horror, fantasy and thriller cinema, BIFAN runs July 2-12 in Bucheon, just west of Seoul.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
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Two oversized Adirondack chairs face a campy performance-art film that traces a path from Caribbean sugar plantations and rum production to the modern fantasy of escape marketed by Margaritaville.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Noun
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The heady scent—a mix of white florals, amber, and sandalwood—induces daydreams of tanning on a white-sand beach.—
Jenny Berg,
Vogue,
27 May 2026
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Nina, Karen and Caroline started appearing in my daydreams, full of vigor and life lessons.—
Jennifer Acker,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Backstory Namia opened in December 2024 as the fruition of Tran Thanh Nam's deeply personal vision.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
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When reading Blake in a Harlem apartment in 1948, Ginsberg was struck with a vision of the Romantic poet, intoning his own verse in his own voice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
There’s a seductive delusion to FatFIRE—one that promises the world can be opted out of, if not mastered.—
Joshua Rivera,
Vanity Fair,
8 June 2026
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One neighbor told the local TV station that Gledhill appeared to suffer from delusions.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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