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surreal Definition

sur·real (sə rē′əl)

adjective

  1. of, related to, or characteristic of surrealism
  2. bizarre; fantastic; grotesque

Etymology: back-form. < surrealism

surreal Usage Examples

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • seem: Plus if you sniffed it enough the car ride home seemed a lot more surreal.

Modifying Another Word

  • brilliantly: Julian Barrat and Noel Fielding star in this brilliantly surreal comedy of shamans, monkeys and demon nannies summoned from hell.
  • slightly: Just played a slightly surreal gig at 5:30pm at the Cardiff Barfly.
  • wonderfully: Everything is set on an absurd, mythical level that at times becomes wonderfully surreal.
  • somewhat: A rich man's invention, nothing can prepare you for the somewhat surreal qualities of parts of this area.
  • almost: We were given an event which was almost surreal in its horror level.
  • rather: However, today I woke up unaided, in the middle of a rather surreal dream.

Infinitive complement

  • see: Really surreal to see that the actors have turned out just as Ju, Dick and Anne probably would have!

Modifies a noun

  • humor: This musical piece is peppered with surreal humor derived from teenage angst.
  • imagery: My intellect and reasoning could not and would not accept the surreal imagery of the situation.
  • comedy: In a nutshell, the man with no name meets the boy with soiled sheets who harbors a pathological hatred for surreal comedy.
  • fantasy: Having completed a couple of 16mm shorts, Barry decided to bring his surreal fantasy to screen in 1972.
  • spectacle: The clash of cultures, impoverished means and surreal spectacle of this area can be found traced through the company's work.
  • lyric: It's not that there's one surreal, unrhymed lyric, they all are.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: It seemed surreal; in fact everything seemed surreal.
  • feel: It feels surreal here, a little like a film set, or maybe the surface of the moon.
  • become: Everything is set on an absurd, mythical level that at times becomes wonderfully surreal.
  • look: Whatever, the knickers make them look slightly surreal.
  • get: Meanwhile, things are getting surreal with Mark Higgs.
  • sound: It sounds surreal, but I had a real breakdown about saying goodbye to her.