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.
Strangely dreamlike
Closest synonyms
Related words and expressions
These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.
Usage distinction
Return to topSurreal suggests a dreamlike break from ordinary reality. Bizarre means very strange, while incongruous describes elements that do not seem to belong together.
CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT
See surreal in use
The empty station under violet lights had a surreal quality.
Angled panels and reflected light created a surreal atmosphere, as though the familiar space had become part of a dream.
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