UNREAL Synonyms: 122 Similar and Opposite Words

unreal

adjective

ˌən-ˈrē(-ə)l

Definition of unreal

as in absurd

conceived or made without regard for reason or reality an unreal claim that is distant from the slightest hint of truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in imaginary

not real and existing only in the imagination the unreal world of TV sitcoms

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of unreal Chihuahua, Mexico Spring 1983 Filming out in the Chihuahuan Desert is actually chilly in the morning, but when the sun comes up, the heat is unreal. — Kyle MacLachlan, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2026 The creation of that unreal enemy depended on a complex belief structure regulating church congregations, especially their least conforming and most vulnerable members. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Grabbing a wire-free smart video doorbell with 2K resolution, head-to-toe wide-angle coverage, and two-way talk under $40 is an unreal deal. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026 Her testimony on Wednesday in the case of the American Idol contestant accused of murdering his wife was absolutely unreal. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unreal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreal

Adjective

Maybe that’s an absurd quibble, though, for a series that is proudly manufactured from the very beginning.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
There's no luck in baseball, because everything must have an explanation, no matter how absurd.

— Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of absurd

Adjective

The book used an imaginary dialogue between two women to explain the principles of economics, collecting the ideas of the new science together in a way that had never before been attempted.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
Bill Irwin isn’t going anywhere — knock on all available wood — except quickly to the imaginary bathroom just off stage right several times a night as his character’s regimen of enemas kicks in.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of imaginary

Adjective

The cookie shops have a rotating menu of cookies with elaborate toppings, sometimes offering bizarre flavors such as everything bagel.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Skerritt co-starred opposite Kathy Baker, playing his doctor wife in the community of Rome, Wisconsin, a place with bizarre happenings, like having a robber leaving a trail of frogs or the pope becoming the primary witness to a murder.

— CBS News, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of bizarre

Adjective

This Lincolnian view of the war—that the United States was perpetual and that the Confederate States of America was a fictitious, farcical nation—has led to various historical interpretations ever since, among historians and laypeople alike.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026
The series will be set in a fictitious Barneys in Beverly Hills, not New York, and the real founding family of the retailer, the Pressman family, has no involvement, the spokesperson said.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictitious

Adjective

The latest season, currently being aired, depicts a fictional Chinese intelligence agency capturing and torturing some of the Japanese spies.

— Reuters, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
To make the investigation personal, Ashton is using the cheerleaders’ photos as suspect pictures, while co-captain Mackenzie has supplied fun facts for their fictional police statements.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of fictional

Adjective

Cohen and Harwood grew up in Maryland, studying Top 40 hits and FL Studio tutorials; in some ways, this fun, formalist record—impeccable songcraft, insane sprezzatura—plays like a tribute to those days.

— Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
Many have told me that Veronica Beard has copied more small brands, this is insane.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of insane

Adjective

Basquiat himself was the star of Downtown 81, playing a mythic version of himself.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
In their utopian reconstruction of a mythic past, the Agrarians’ polemics failed to mention the South’s legacies of slavery and rebellion.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of mythical

Browse Nearby Words

unready

unreal

unrealistic

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“Unreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreal. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of unreal

adjective

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