Learn English – Usage of “surreal”

meaningusageword-usage

I have looked up this word in 8 or 9 dictionaries. No dictionary gives many examples, so I am finding it a bit hard to use this word in my own sentences.

Macmillan’s explanation of the word is:

something surreal is so strange that you cannot believe it is real

These surreal events eventually led to police arresting the teacher in her classroom.

Source: macmillandictionary.com definition of “surreal”

Longman’s explanation is:

a situation or experience that is surreal is very strange and difficult to understand, like something from a dream

The house was a surreal mixture of opulence and decay.

Source: ldoceonline.com definition of “surreal”

Now I’m trying to use the word in my own way. Have I used the word “surreal” correctly in the following sentences?

  1. It’s a surreal world. (like weird)
  2. He is by nature surreal.
  3. They’ve got a surreal dog which doesn't bark at strangers.

Do you have any examples—or, better still, any explanation—to describe this word?

Is it a positive or a negative word exactly?

Best Answer

Surreal has the definition that you give, but it typically doesn't describe a person or object, but instead an experience or feeling. You wouldn't normally describe someone or something as habitually surreal, even if they are strange and unusual. Your example 1 works, 2 less so, and 3 not really, the way it is written. I've rewritten 2 and 3 with a bit more context to clarify how you might use the word in those situations.

Surreal is neither negative nor positive. It can easily go either way. It is most often used for an experience that is truly otherworldly (deja vu, perhaps, or the sensation of time slowing down when you are in danger) but is occasionally used sarcastically to describe completely mundane things that are mildly unusual (not losing a sock in the laundry, walking across a dark room without stubbing your toe, that kind of thing.)

  1. John went crazy when he met Justin Bieber. Watching a normally quiet 40 year old man turn into a 12 year old girl was surreal. (Here John isn't surreal, his actions are surreal.)
  2. Watching their dog interact with strangers is surreal. It acts wild but never barks.
    (Not the best usage, but the best I could think of with a dog-surreal combination. Strange, weird, bizarre, or unusual would be preferable here, in my opinion.)

More examples:
4. When I realized that our cars were about to crash, time slowed down; it was surreal.
5. I am not a handsome man, so it felt surreal when the most beautiful woman at the party asked me to dance.
6. My drive to work was surreal, every light was green along the way and there was no traffic at all. I hardly even saw another car.

Here is a page with many more sentences using the word as well. Some are better than others, but all of them are sensible.

Related Topic