surrealism C2 Topic:Describing Qualities US /sɝˈiːlɪzəm/ UK /səˈɹiː(.ə)l.ɪz.əm/ See IPA manual Freq #45637 Meanings 1 noun An early 20th-century art and literary movement that used dreamlike, fantastic images to express the unconscious mind. Surrealism rejected logic in favour of dreams and imagination. 2 noun A strange, dreamlike quality in art, regardless of the historical movement. The painting's surrealism left viewers unsettled. Thesaurus Word family Related forms surrealsurrealist Etymology AI details From French surréalisme. By surface analysis, sur- + realism or surreal + -ism. surréalisme French View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Culture & History Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # surrealism **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /sɝˈiːlɪzəm/ **IPA (UK):** /səˈɹiː(.ə)l.ɪz.əm/ **Frequency rank:** 45637 ## Meanings 1. An early 20th-century art and literary movement that used dreamlike, fantastic images to express the unconscious mind. 2. A strange, dreamlike quality in art, regardless of the historical movement. ## Examples - Surrealism rejected logic in favour of dreams and imagination. - The painting's surrealism left viewers unsettled. ## Related Forms - surreal - surrealist ## Roots and Affixes - Root: surréalisme ## Etymology From French surréalisme. By surface analysis, sur- + realism or surreal + -ism. ## AI Etymology Surrealism is from French surréalisme. By surface analysis, sur- + realism or surreal + -ism. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include surréalisme (French). Current senses include an early 20th-century art and literary movement that used dreamlike, fantastic images to express the unconscious mind and a strange, dreamlike quality in art, regardless of the historical movement. The wider family includes related words such as surreal and surrealist. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Culture & History - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown