surrealism

C2 Topic:Literature & Storytelling

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

From French surréalisme. By surface analysis, sur- + realism or surreal + -ism.

surréalisme French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Literature & Storytelling Abstract Ideas Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style

External links

# 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
- Literature & Storytelling
- Abstract Ideas
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style

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