Definitions
01dreamlike and strange
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. very strange or unusual, like something you would see in a dream.
adj. resembling a dream in its bizarre, illogical, or fantastic quality; often involves the juxtaposition of incongruous elements.
“Standing in the middle of the empty stadium felt completely surreal.”
“The experience of walking through the abandoned city was utterly surreal, as if we had stepped directly into a painting by Salvador Dalí.”
02a type of number
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Mathematics Technical
n. a special kind of number used in advanced mathematics.
n. an element of a field that includes all real numbers as well as infinite and infinitesimal numbers.
“The professor explained how surreal numbers can represent games.”
“In combinatorial game theory, surreals provide a powerful framework for evaluating the values of various positions in a game.”
Usage
Usually used in the plural form 'surreals' or as the compound 'surreal number'.
Real-World Examples
“Speaking to the BBC, the Welsh actor described the "surreal" experience of becoming the first person to win two lead acting prizes in one night.” “And that’s when I was like, this is totally sci-fi.”
The sight was so surreal, Glover says, that almost nothing more would have surprised him.” Etymology
A back-formation from surrealism, equivalent to sur- + real.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/surreal
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0