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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unreality
Yet even as Pym stalked him, slept with him, and pined after him, there was an element of unreality in her ardor, Harvey recalled.
—
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
Longtime Vogue readers can likely recognize Steven Klein’s photographs at a glance, what with their glaring colors, arresting compositions, and beguiling sense of unreality.
—Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
In rare cases, sleepers gain insight into the unreality of their dreams from within the dream itself.
—Rachel Barr, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Literary Hub, 17 Nov. 2025
The cringing mortifications and unsettling unreality make the series a tough sit.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2025
Longtime Vogue readers can likely recognize Steven Klein’s photographs at a glance, what with their glaring colors, arresting compositions, and beguiling sense of unreality.
—Vogue, 7 Oct. 2025
In rare cases, sleepers gain insight into the unreality of their dreams from within the dream itself.
—Rachel Barr, Big Think, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unreality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unreality
Noun
-
More than a month into open confrontation between Iran, the United States, Israel, and now parts of the Arab Gulf, the illusion of a quick and decisive conflict has collapsed.—
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The next mayor will inherit an enormous burden on Day 1 with no room for illusions.—
Bill Conway,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The dreams that Rice and Jaquez had about bringing an NCAA championship to a program that hadn’t won one required the right pieces, and Betts was the missing ingredient.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Some of her theories apparently came to her in vivid dreams.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Attempts to resolve ecological responsibility through strict localism often risk sliding into cultural provincialism or nationalist enclosure—fantasies of purity that ignore how deeply entangled our lives already are.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Daily fantasy sports players draft rosters of athletes competing that day, stake money and win cash prizes based on the athletes’ real-life performances.—
Michael Delayo,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The family car is a Mazda, but Zac daydreams of a Bugatti Veyron.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
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More than masturbatory daydreams, Vladimir inspires our heroine to write with abandon, ignoring professional and personal obligations in service to her muse.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One in four children has vision problems that directly impact academic performance, according to the American Optometric Association.—
Christina Mayo,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
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That vision of worldwide economic and cultural interdependence that enabled the proliferation of biennials in the ’90s has been steadily eroding amid the recent rise in nativism and far-right movements in the United States and Europe.—
Smooth Nzewi,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The other path is pressing on in your delusions, hoping you will eventually be vindicated.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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Several reports find psychosis among those who are addicted and could result in hallucinations, delusions and confusion.—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unreality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unreality. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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