surreal

Meanings

• adjective

  Relating to or being a feeling of disbelief or incongruity, resulting from the irrational juxtaposing of disparate ideas or images.

  - "The surreal landscape of the dream left a lasting impression on the artist."
  - "The surreal experience of being underwater left her feeling weightless."

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Rhymes

Words rhyming with surreal
unreal , real

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Variants

List of all variants of surreal that leads to same result
surreal , surrealist , surrealities , surreality , surreally

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Etymology

origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

From the 1920s, inspired by the Surrealist movement, led by André Breton.

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Trivia

Any details, considerations, events or pieces of information regarding the word

1. The term 'surreal' was first used by French poet Guillaume Apollinaire in 1917, but it was André Breton who popularized the term and founded the Surrealist movement in 1924.

2. Surrealism has been influential in various forms of art, including painting, sculpture, literature, film, and music.

3. The Surrealist movement was characterized by its rejection of rational thought and its exploration of the unconscious mind through various techniques, such as automatic writing and dream analysis.

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Related Concepts

informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to

1. Absurdism: Absurdism is a philosophical and literary movement that emphasizes the inherent meaninglessness of the universe and the human condition, often using irrational or illogical elements to explore these themes.

2. Fantasy: Fantasy is a genre of fiction that often involves magical or supernatural elements, and can be characterized by its imaginative and escapist qualities.

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Quotes

Quotes by authors and personalities

1. Despite all the hassle, though, I would not want an ordinary name. I know of one other person in the world who shares my name, first and last. I know nothing about her except that she lived in New York at the same time I did, and that she and I subscribed to a few of the same publications. I found myself in the "surreal" position of having to explain to circulation departments that I was, in fact, me, and not that other version of me on the West Side.

   - Johnna Kaplan,{it}Newsweek{/it},3 Mar. 2008

2. Films aren't just a part of life for people in India; they are a way of life. The over-the-top, "surreal" dance numbers in nearly every Bollywood film often make no sense in relation to the story, but no one seems to be complaining.

   - Shashank Samant,{it}The Out Traveler{/it},May/June 2005

3. The movie achieves a truly rare mix of the absurd, the "surreal", and the heartfelt. Improbably, its wacked-out premise and structural hilarity concoct a melancholy meditation on love, loss, and memory, while delivering a message—subversive to our culture's therapeutic optimism—about the tragedy of healing.

   - Rand Richards Cooper,{it}Commonweal{/it},23 Apr. 2004

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Culture

Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

The Surrealist movement was an artistic and literary cultural movement that began in the European early 20th century. Surrealism sought to challenge the rational mind and explore the irrational and the unconscious mind through various forms of art, literature, and film.

How to Memorize "surreal"

1. visualize
   

   - Visualize a dreamlike scene where unrelated objects are combined in an unexpected way. For example, a tree growing out of a teacup.

2. associate
   

   - Associate the word 'surreal' with the feeling of being in a dream or experiencing something that defies logic or explanation.

3. mnemonics
   

   - Use the mnemonic 'Silly Unicorns Roam Around' to remember the definition of surreal, where 'Silly' represents the incongruous nature of the elements, 'Unicorns' represent the irrational or illogical aspects, and 'Roam Around' represents the feeling of disbelief or incongruity.

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