as in irrational
very strange or unusual; having the quality of a dream
a surreal atmosphere at the festival The whole situation was completely surreal.
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Recent Examples of surreal
Set in a world where conspiracy theories threaten to overwhelm reality, the film feels timely without losing its surreal edge.
—
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 5 Jan. 2026
This is a very surreal experience for me, as this is my first serious film.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
There’s something quite intimate yet surreal about it.
—William Earl, Variety, 2 Jan. 2026
Lolita is both romantic and deeply disturbing, empathetic and Swiftian, surreal and acute.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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Cramer warned that these moments can feel chaotic — even irrational — but are often driven by valuation extremes finally snapping back toward equilibrium.—
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Often, these unjustifiable fears arise simply because people draw irrational conclusions from rational concerns.—
Adjective
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The then-unknown Michael Shannon, whose early career roles in Chicago were every bit as weird as this play, starred in that production.—
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But this year, due to weird scheduling, the BAFTA nods will come out on January 27, after the Oscar nominations.—
Adjective
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The sounds had become a strange new normal for the diverse Central neighborhood.—
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And there was a strange preoccupation with running out of time, even though the show ended a good 15 minutes early as if the performers didn’t understand their own timeline.—
Adjective
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Importantly, the president already has full legal authority to impose tariffs when other nations’ behavior places an unreasonable burden on our economy, including through environmental negligence.—
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The logic was that Spirit had projected the league would grow at a rate that the league itself found unreasonable, and so would not be able to field a team while also paying Rodman.—
Adjective
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After the first Roundtable, Survivor stalwart Rob Cesternino — perhaps clued in by Candiace’s absurd conga line ploy to get people out of the kitchen — sniffed out that a murder in plain sight could be happening.—
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Contrary to what many may think, the researchers found no correlation between a person’s level of education and their capacity to believe in absurd conspiracies.—
Adjective
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This translation by Nancy Naomi Carlson preserves the rich musicality of the original French, as well as its frequent use of wordplay and often unusual word choice.—
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Ostrich Leather Recognizable by its distinctive quill pattern and supple texture, ostrich leather combines durability with an unusual kind of beauty.—
Adjective
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Diplomacy is preferable, but diplomacy without credibility is meaningless.—
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Sadly, these beliefs become meaningless when college turns into a test of how much a person can endure instead of a career path.—
Adjective
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Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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