adj
surreal
suh-REEL
adj
1
Strange and dreamlike, in a way that feels unreal or bizarre.
"Standing on the empty street at 3am felt completely surreal."
"The painting had a surreal quality, with melting shapes and impossible angles."
How to Use Surreal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSo strange or dreamlike it barely feels real.
Common pairings
a surreal experience
surreal imagery
Word Forms
more surreal comparative, surreals plural, most surreal superlative
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “surreal”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
Standing on the empty street at 3am felt completely _____.
Etymology
A back-formation from "surrealism", built from sur- ("beyond") + "real".