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
Ty later recalled the surreal moment of being chosen.
—
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
In perhaps the most surreal moment of the three matches, a group of around 40 supporters — predominantly dressed in black — arrived a few minutes after the game between Benfica and Club Brugge had begun.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Through a surreal odyssey that spans a century, the hero searches for his identity and navigates the highs and lows of fame and notoriety.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Completing the scene, Cibic’s oversize surreal structures will expand the Buongiorno universe around the kiosk, which will serve Italian coffee and refreshments throughout the week, alongside hosting workshops, a fragrance quiz and a memory game inspired by the collection’s campaign.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
In perhaps the most surreal moment of the three matches, a group of around 40 supporters — predominantly dressed in black — arrived a few minutes after the game between Benfica and Club Brugge had begun.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Through a surreal odyssey that spans a century, the hero searches for his identity and navigates the highs and lows of fame and notoriety.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
Completing the scene, Cibic’s oversize surreal structures will expand the Buongiorno universe around the kiosk, which will serve Italian coffee and refreshments throughout the week, alongside hosting workshops, a fragrance quiz and a memory game inspired by the collection’s campaign.
—Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for surreal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for surreal
Adjective
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Surveys show a 50-50 divide, but Trump’s real base is his same irrational 30%.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
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Letting Jinx stay is yet another act of irrational love from Margo.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some weird ground balls, a bounce over (first baseman Gavin) Sheets’ head.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Cabdrivers sometimes call it the Hinckley Hilton—a weird local homage to the shooter, John Hinckley, Jr.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The truck had been at the head of a column of seven rescue vehicles, all of which had received clearance from the tower to cross Runway 4 at Taxiway D and head toward a United Airlines flight that was evacuating due to a strange odor onboard.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
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On World Rhythms, Lockwood trusts the listener to hear the arc of its noises, to trace their emergence and disappearance, their strange, seductive confluence.—
Joshua Minsoo Kim,
Pitchfork,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Gill's decision came after Scott's lawyer requested to suspend the trial on the grounds that the grandparents had not met the state statute requiring them to prove Scott's decision to keep them from seeing Laila was unreasonable.—
Juliet Pennington,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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Keirans, 59, argued the 144-month prison term was unreasonable and that special conditions of supervised release were improper.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Still absurd to the average person, but a far cry from what Biles paid.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
-
As paranoia festers and absurd regulations tighten their grip, suspicion replaces love, and truth itself begins to warp.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Wednesday’s game, in particular, ended in extremely bizarre fashion with Xavier Edwards turning an unusual unassisted double play with the bases loaded and Freddie Freeman at the plate.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In an unusual development, the bank published a range of forecasts given the geopolitical uncertainties.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The second happens when the cords of logic break entirely; these patients jump from idea to idea in a meaningless way, and their speech is nonsensical—what doctors call word salad.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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And at the same time, how meaningless a basketball game actually was in the bigger scheme of things.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Bainbridge knew about secrets and unreasoning shame.—
Christopher Tayler,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Let sound political prescience but take the place of an unreasoning prejudice, and this will be done.—
Frederick Douglass,
The Atlantic,
16 Aug. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Surreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/surreal. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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