unreal

[uhn-ree-uhl, -reel] / ʌnˈri əl, -ˈril /

ADJECTIVE

fake, make-believe; hypothetical

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dreamlike false fanciful hallucinatory illusory immaterial unbelievable

STRONG

artificial insubstantial unsubstantial

WEAK

aerial chimerical delusive fabled fabulous fictitious fictive figmental ideal imaginary imagined impalpable insincere intangible invented legendary misleading mock mythical nebulous nonexistent notional ostensible phantasmagoric pretended seeming sham storybook suppositious supposititious theoretical visionary

Antonyms

STRONGEST

actual authentic genuine real

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It still feels unreal to Small that her album generates revenue.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Those glimpses of humanity had a way of rendering the mercenary atmosphere in the tent city incredibly disorienting—almost unreal.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

“The atmosphere over race weekend in the city is unreal, and there’s something about it being the first race of the season which makes the vibes even better,” Lawson said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

"The pressure of the Olympics really gets you... it's unreal," an emotional Malinin told journalists afterwards.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

Everything that had happened inside the wood was beginning to seem unreal, the validity of it was being sapped away.

From "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

unreal

Example Sentences

Related Words