surreal
adj. · n.-
1 dreamlike and strange (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatevery strange or unusual, like something you would see in a dream.
resembling a dream in its bizarre, illogical, or fantastic quality; often involves the juxtaposition of incongruous elements.
ExampleStanding in the middle of the empty stadium felt completely surreal.
ExampleThe experience of walking through the abandoned city was utterly surreal, as if we had stepped directly into a painting by Salvador Dalí.
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2 a type of number (n.) C2 Proficiency Technical Matha special kind of number used in advanced mathematics.
an element of a field that includes all real numbers as well as infinite and infinitesimal numbers.
ExampleThe professor explained how surreal numbers can represent games.
ExampleIn combinatorial game theory, surreals provide a powerful framework for evaluating the values of various positions in a game.
UsageUsually used in the plural form 'surreals' or as the compound 'surreal number'.
A back-formation from surrealism, equivalent to sur- + real.