In 1924 a group of European poets, painters, and filmmakers founded a movement that they called Surrealism. Their central idea was that the unconscious mind (a concept Sigmund Freud had recently made famous) was the source of all imagination, and that art should try to express its contents.
So, surreal describes something that’s a bizarre mix of elements, often jarring and seemingly nonsensical. Images can be surreal, like the melting clocks in Salvador Dali's paintings, but so can strange, dream-like moments in everyday life.
Driving through the total darkness was a slightly surreal experience. The action is also elevated to a surreal level where a struggle over power and justice is carried out. Unlike in the stereo space, we are convinced to accept what was previously 'surreal' as real.
If you describe something as surreal, you mean that the elements in it are combined in a strange way that you would not normally expect, like in a dream. 'Performance' is undoubtedly one of the most surreal movies ever made. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Definition of surreal adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
surreal definition: having bizarre or unexpected qualities. Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, and related words. Discover expressions like "surreal humor", "surreal humour".
What does the word surreal mean? According to Collins English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word surreal is an adjective that means combined in a strange way or unexpected, like in a dream.
Adjective surreal (comparative more surreal, superlative most surreal) Resembling a dream: fantastic and incongruous. Synonyms: dreamlike, (art) surrealist surreal picture/sound/art a surreal experience The movie had a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere.