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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unreality
Longtime Vogue readers can likely recognize Steven Klein’s photographs at a glance, what with their glaring colors, arresting compositions, and beguiling sense of unreality.
—
Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
In rare cases, sleepers gain insight into the unreality of their dreams from within the dream itself.
—Rachel Barr, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.
—Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
What can a mother do, facing reality, facing unreality, but rely on her intuition while at the same time keeping her intuition at bay?
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
In rare cases, sleepers gain insight into the unreality of their dreams from within the dream itself.
—Rachel Barr, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.
—Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
What can a mother do, facing reality, facing unreality, but rely on her intuition while at the same time keeping her intuition at bay?
—Yiyun Li, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality
Noun
-
Still, there are some footwear styles and silhouettes that work better for women on the shorter side, helping give the illusion of a higher stature.—
Shelby Comroe,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Her sister, Kali, has the power to create illusions, so the Eleven that everyone witnessed in her final moments could have been fake, and the real Eleven could have slipped away without being detected.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But as his son’s college dreams were coming into focus, Dominique thought about his own path and upbringing.—
Mirin Fader,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Most cops have hero dreams, protector fantasies that sustain them through days that are mostly mundane.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
And, once again, fantasies of surgical strikes are yielding to messy realities.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
10 Jan. 2026
-
As that tension escalates, battles — between good and evil, fantasy and reality, collapse and triumph — ensue.—
Bob Gendron,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Bob Weir, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, whose songs about sunshine daydreams and truckin’ helped turn the jam band into a 60-year musical empire, has died at age 78.—
Richard Gehr,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Season 5, after all, is framed by Mike and Eleven’s daydream of a conversation in the first episode.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
26 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Thinking globally and acting locally means electing people of vision, not people who couldn't find their way out of a paper bag without a lobbyist lighting their way under the table, or down the wrong path where for-profit companies rule and teachers are scapegoated for society's failures.—
SHELLEY SMITH SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Harbaugh discussed his vision for the team and his coaching staff.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke said paralytic dementia symptoms can include delusions along with memory and language problems.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
6 Jan. 2026
-
But in this version, set in a contemporary world resembling our own, where politics is a spectacle, the main character’s delusions revolve around television.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share