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surreally

surreally

1 7.0
In a strange way that feels like a dream
  • adverb
  • /sɜːrˈɛli/
translation icon : surrealmente
  • The sculpture was surreally large, creating an illusion of it looming over the entire park.
  • so surreally

Examples

  • The story of Savile's abuse was eventually picked up by ITV and has come, almost surreally, to dominate news in Britain over the past two months.

    Blog text (13)
  • To say that... there is huge room for improvement in the running of this hotel... would be to understate the surreally haphazard nature of your operation.

  • We motor serenely, surreally, down the river, with no sign of human life on the banks.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • He was surreally perfect and was therefore worshipped and despised, often by the very same people.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The mining area was ringed with lights that glared and shifted surreally on the monitors.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The play they had seen had been by E. E. Cummings, enacted entirely upon a stage floor slanted surreally towards the audience.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • THE BATMOBILE -- NIGHT Penguin's image on the spinning screen surreally cackles.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • There, a little surreally, Morrison appeared on the panel with his fictional foil, the actor who played the scientist warning everyone about the 2012 danger in that movie.

    Blog text (6)
  • The landscape looked surreally beautiful at sunset, as if it were painted by a dream.

  • She felt surreally calm during the meditation, as if she were floating in a different world.

Synonyms

strangely
vssurreally
190 3.2

In an unusual or unexpected way

conveys dreamlike unreality rather than simple unexpectedness
oddly
vssurreally
150 3.4

In a strange or unexpected way

adds a dreamlike, unreal sense rather than plain oddity
weirdly
vssurreally
35 3.5

In a strange or unexpected way

has a more surreal, dreamlike quality than ordinary strangeness
curiously
vssurreally
31 4.1

In a strange or unexpected way

leans more toward unreal dreamlike feeling than mere peculiarity
eerily
vssurreally
30 6.8

In a strange and frightening way

is less about fear and more about surreal unreality
freakishly
vssurreally
14 7.7

In a very unusual and surprising way

is more about dreamlike unreality than sheer extremeness
bizarrely
vssurreally
12 4.4

In a strange or unexpected way

captures unreal, dreamlike scenes rather than just odd behavior
funnily
vssurreally
9 5.3

Shows that something is strange or surprising

adds an unreal dreamlike tone rather than simple peculiarity
dreamily
vssurreally
8 3.2

In a quiet, lost way that shows someone is thinking of pleasant things

has a stranger, more unreal tone than calm inner reverie
uncannily
vssurreally
5 6.9

In a way that is strange, surprising, and hard to explain

is more about strange dreamlike unreality than simply mystery
outlandishly
vssurreally
1 8.2

Seems very strange and different from what people expect

has dreamlike unreality rather than simply extreme oddness
queerly
vssurreally
1 8.3

In a strange way that feels odd

carries dreamlike unreality rather than merely odd character
spookily
vssurreally
1 7.0

In a strange, frightening way that feels like a ghost

is the weird dreamlike feeling without strong fear factor
surrealistically
vssurreally
1 7.8

Makes something seem strange and dreamlike

is broader, meaning a general dreamlike or unreal feeling
fancifully
vssurreally
1 5.7

In a way that shows imagination and looks unreal

tends toward strange, unreal scenes rather than playful decoration
phantasmically
vssurreally
  • Literature
9.9

In a way that seems like a ghost or a dream

leans toward wider dreamlike strangeness rather than ghostly illusion
imaginarily
vssurreally
7.7

Happens only in your mind

focuses more on dreamlike atmosphere than mere imagined existence
psychedelically
vssurreally
8.2

In a way that uses very bright colors and strange visual effects

means general dreamlike unreality, not focused on vivid visuals
dreamfully
vssurreally
  • Literature
7.4

In a calm way as if lost in thought

is more about odd external unreality than private daydreaming
freakily
vssurreally
6.3

In a very strange way that feels surprising

is focused on strange dreamlike quality rather than shocking oddness

Antonyms

78 3.0

In most situations

In a way that looks like the thing itself

How Surreal

surreally
1 7.0
strangely
190 3.2
oddly
150 3.4

Surface Forms

surreally positive

Morphology

surreally = surreal (transparent) = surreal + ly

The adverb 'surreally' is transparently derived from the adjective 'surreal' with the addition of the adverbial suffix '-ly'.

Etymology

The word surreally comes from the French art word surreal, built from sur- meaning 'above' and real meaning 'real'. So, to call something surreally strange means it feels 'above' or beyond ordinary reality, like a dream.