surrealistic
Like melting clocks
Surrealistic describes things resembling or characteristic of surrealism—the artistic movement that emphasized dreamlike imagery, irrational juxtapositions, and the unconscious mind.
The word applies to art, literature, film, or experiences that feel bizarre, dreamlike, or defying normal logic: The accident scene had a surrealistic quality—time seemed to slow down.
Often used interchangeably with surreal, though surrealistic more directly evokes the artistic movement.
Below conscious awareness
- oneiricRelating to dreams
- hallucinatorySeeming falsely perceived
- phantasmagoricBizarrely dreamlike and shifting
- lucidMentally sharp and comprehensible
nightmarish · trance · reverie · disorienting · illusory · distorted · floating · melting
Innovative cultural pioneers
- DalíSpanish surrealist painter
- MagritteBelgian surrealist painter
- Man RayAvant-garde photographer, Dadaist
- MiróSurrealist painter from Spain
automatism · dadaism · collage · juxtaposition · biomorphic · decalcomania · frottage · Breton
Wildly illogical
- incongruousNot fitting together harmoniously
- grotesqueDistorted, bizarre figure
- uncannyEerily beyond normal
- anomalousDeviating from expected norms
disjointed · irrational · nonsensical · impossible · jarring · unexpected · dislocated · warped
Playfully fanciful or erratic
- imaginativeAble to conceive new ideas
- otherworldlySeemingly not earthly
- wondrousInspiring deep awe
- marvelousExtremely good, inspiring wonder
enchanting · magical · extraordinary · mythical · chimeric · impossible · fanciful · strange
subconscious
Below conscious awareness
- oneiricRelating to dreams
- hallucinatorySeeming falsely perceived
- phantasmagoricBizarrely dreamlike and shifting
lucid · nightmarish · trance · reverie · disorienting · illusory · distorted · floating · melting · morphing
avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
- DalíSpanish surrealist painter
- MagritteBelgian surrealist painter
- Man RayAvant-garde photographer, Dadaist
Miró · automatism · dadaism · collage · juxtaposition · biomorphic · decalcomania · frottage · Breton · montage
absurd
Wildly illogical
- incongruousNot fitting together harmoniously
- grotesqueDistorted, bizarre figure
- uncannyEerily beyond normal
anomalous · disjointed · irrational · nonsensical · impossible · jarring · unexpected · dislocated · warped · distorted
whimsical
Playfully fanciful or erratic
- imaginativeAble to conceive new ideas
- otherworldlySeemingly not earthly
- wondrousInspiring deep awe
marvelous · enchanting · magical · extraordinary · mythical · chimeric · impossible · fanciful · strange · eerie
surrealisticrealistic
True to life
real · lifelike · naturalistic · verisimilar · logical
surrealisticrealist
One accepting hard truths
classical · academic · traditional · realistic · naturalistic
- surrealist movementArt rejecting rational reality
- surrealist imageryIllogical visual compositions
- surrealist filmMovie rejecting conventional narrative