SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

surreal

adjective

Strangely dreamlike or unreal in appearance or experience.

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.
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Strangely dreamlike

Closest synonyms

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Surreal suggests a dreamlike break from ordinary reality. Bizarre means very strange, while incongruous describes elements that do not seem to belong together.

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See surreal in use

The empty station under violet lights had a surreal quality.
Dictionary practice example.
Angled panels and reflected light created a surreal atmosphere, as though the familiar space had become part of a dream.
From The Unexpected Discovery.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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