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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for unreality
A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 28 Apr. 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
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
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality
Noun
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Like the film that inspired it, the book circles intimacy, illusion, blondes and brunettes, the psychic architecture of Los Angeles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Aug. 2025
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While Grave of the Fireflies is a morbid examination of the way the terrors of the adult world smash the illusions of childhood, My Neighbor Totoro treasures and protects that innocence.—
Devan Coggan,
EW.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Of course, Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen and ends up in a romantic relationship with his aunt, Daenerys Targaryen, in the final seasons of HBO’s hit fantasy drama.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
16 Aug. 2025
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There are people dressed as recognizable characters from comic books, fantasy movies and TV shows and video games.—
Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Running the largest sports media company in the world is a dream job for Pitaro, a lifelong Yankees fan who named one of his dogs Jeter (as in Derek).—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Aug. 2025
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An original work set in the world of 1950s ping pong culture, the film tells the story of Marty Mauser (Chalamet), a young man with a dream no one respects, who goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Your recurring daydream of spending unending hours splayed out on the beach should take place right here, on the beaches of Isla Verde, located on the edge of San Juan.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
26 July 2025
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After stealing a security guard’s gun (and his wife’s Lorazepam), the mentally unwell husband and father contemplates some violent solutions to his problem during a couple of vivid daydream sequences.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And a special shout-out goes to SNL’s Vanessa Bayer as the hilarious medium with impeccable timing and detailed delusion.—
Katie Grant,
Parents,
7 Aug. 2025
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Marroquin, who had been jailed on assault and battery charges, struggled with mental illness and persistent delusions that someone was going to hurt his mother.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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But the film’s precise, funny characters and vivid, sweltering look would have meant nothing without Lee’s wise and ultimately sad vision of multicultural America as a place where good intentions and casual mistrust are as commonplace as the local pizzeria.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
16 Aug. 2025
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The underlying fundamental challenges created by the countries’ deep divisions over their economic ties, the potential for conflict over Taiwan and other hotspots, and their competing visions of the international order can only be papered over for so long.—
Scott Kennedy,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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