Synonyms for

Unreal

Verb / ʌˈnri:l / Another word for unreal — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

not real or genuine; imaginary or fanciful

Synonyms & similar words

artificial real insubstantial unsubstantial natural substantial imaginary fictitious fantastical illusory mythical invented make-believe pretend untrue fabricated fictional mythical legendary unrealistic dreamlike visionary phantasmagorical chimerical quixotic utopian

Synonyms by register

Formal

imaginary fictional hypothetical illusory

Informal

crazy wild unbelievable outlandish bonkers

Literary

phantasmal ethereal spectral

Antonyms

real actual factual tangible concrete authentic verifiable

Common collocations

  • unreal engine
  • unrealistically high
  • unreal amount
  • unreal experience
  • unreal beauty
  • unreal performance
  • unreal situation

Word family

adjective unreal
adverb unreally

Usage note

Often used informally to express disbelief or astonishment at something extraordinary. Can also refer to something not existing in reality, similar to imaginary.

Example sentences

  1. The dragon in the movie looked unreal.
  2. The mermaid in the story was an unreal creature.
  3. The spaceship in the video game was an unreal vehicle.
  4. The castle in the painting looked unreal.
  5. The monster in the book was an unreal character.

Quotes

  • Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality. - Lewis Carroll
  • The unreal is more powerful than the real. Because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because it's only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on. - Chuck Palahniuk
  • Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. - Albert Einstein

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