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Definition of surreal

surreal

/səˈriː.əl/
sur · re · al
Adverb:surreally
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surreal Lexical Profile

surreal Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Having an intense, bizarre, or dreamlike quality characterized by incongruous or irrational juxtapositions that seem detached from everyday reality.

Example

"Walking through the empty airport terminal at midnight felt completely surreal."

2

Relating to or characteristic of the 20th-century avant-garde movement of surrealism in art and literature.

Example

"The gallery exhibition featured surreal paintings that blended melting clocks with barren desert landscapes."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for surreal

• Nearby Words

surprisedly
surprising
surprisingly
surreal
surrealism
surrealist
surrealistic

Word Origin & Etymology

Coined in the 1930s as a back-formation from "surrealism," which comes from French "surréalisme" ("sur-" meaning "beyond" + "réalisme" meaning "realism"), a term created by French poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1917.

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Surreal. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/surreal
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