UNREALITY Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

unreality

noun

ˌən-rē-ˈa-lə-tē

Definition of unreality

as in illusion

a conception or image created by the imagination and having no objective reality a sci-fi author who seems to have preferred the unrealities of his own fiction to the realities of the world about him

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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 unreality The unreality of Lexi’s play gave us a fun-house mirror of the show cast back onto itself. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 2 June 2026 The percussive score by Joseph Shirley and Moses Sumney underlines this, and gives the whole film an eerie, curious atmosphere, lending to a sense of nightmarish unreality. — Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026 The percussive score by Joseph Shirley and Moses Sumney underlines this and gives the whole film an eerie, curious atmosphere, lending to a sense of unreality. — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026 As to the actual debate, there was an aura of unreality among the Democrats. — John Seiler, Oc Register, 29 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unreality

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality

Noun

Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Growing up in Wyoming’s rugged realities left no illusion that humans are solely in control.

— Amelia Rose Barlow, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of illusion

Noun

Sequenced at the center of a three-track medley, its death-dream logic deliberately evokes the SMiLE era’s dark, confusing edge.

— Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
In a bucket hat and without a care in the world, Murray speaks kindly but candidly about making his buddy Coyne’s TV dream come true.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of dream

Noun

What began as an industry of light and illusion had, by the 1940s, become a machinery of control—an empire built on fantasy, running on fear.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
Released to critical acclaim in 2022, the role-playing game from Japanese publisher Bandai Namco is set in a dark fantasy world and allows players to head off on adventures within vast environments and dungeons.

— Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of fantasy

Noun

This helps warm up the imagination; daydreams, nightmares are easy ways in.

— Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of daydream

Noun

When vision keynotes and customer stories promise an autonomous future, but lived experiences don’t match up, trust fades.

— Chris Koehler, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of vision

Noun

In contrast to the gorgeous monochrome visuals, this is a land that stinks of complicity and delusion — of opportunists desperate to scramble onto the right side of history.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Their passions and delusions strengthen through their symbiosis.

— Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of delusion

Browse Nearby Words

unrealities

unreality

unrealizable

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Style

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

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Synonyms of unreality

noun

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