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
For Leader, this hammers home the unreality of a studio without an intense marketing machine around it.
—
Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
The movie itself is something of a trip; everything feels coated in a faint, menacing sheen of unreality, as if a slasher movie were just a wild twist or two away.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
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
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
Ryan Gaur, IndieWire, 10 June 2025
The movie itself is something of a trip; everything feels coated in a faint, menacing sheen of unreality, as if a slasher movie were just a wild twist or two away.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
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
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
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Neptune retrograde in Pisces, on the other hand, dissolves the fog of illusion, which also serves as an invitation to confront an emotional truth with clarity and compassion.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement But pretending that migration can or should be stopped is a dangerous illusion.—
Jonathan Portes,
Time,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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OpenAI and Amazon announced Monday that the former will pay the latter $38 billion over seven years for computing capacity to fuel its AI dreams.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
4 Nov. 2025
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The week, which had started with the dream of connection and romance, deteriorated into both of us going through the motions—and not all that well.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Much has been said about Bella's plain-Jane persona, but Stewart's earnest performance vivifies the character with a plucky yet lovesick duality that also grounds the film's lofty fantasy sequences.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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Daily fantasy players can sign up with Sleeper promo code NEWSWEEKXL and lock in deposit bonuses.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In pieces on patriotism as a kind of madness, on the long history of Polish and Russian colonizations and cultural appropriations of Ukraine, on the ways communities fantasize and share their daydreams, and others, Janion creates wormholes between past and present.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
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Weston Cloud Modular Sectional Sofa Sinking into cloud-like comfort is no longer a far-off daydream: The Weston Cloud Sofa's plush cushions provide a lavish experience ideal for relaxing after a long day.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jennifer Smith Richards reports on why the rise of Christian nationalism in Oklahoma schools models the far-right’s vision for education in America.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Nov. 2025
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Earlier this year, the team decided to rebrand, choosing a name more in keeping with the brand's vision – and Fold was born.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Sharon’s final delusions about Beryl are put to rest as she’s placed under arrest, and Donnelly tests out a draft of her case report on Elsbeth.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
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The delusion worked wonderfully.—
Shilpa Uskokovic,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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