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Something that seems like a dream; unreal, bizarre, or fantastic. It calls the perception of reality into question.
Die Landschaft nach dem Sturm sah mit den umgeknickten Bäumen und dem seltsamen Licht einfach nur surreal aus.
The landscape after the storm, with the fallen trees and the strange light, looked simply surreal.
The word comes from French. The prefix 'sur' means 'above' or 'beyond'. So 'surreal' describes something that stands above normal reality or lies beyond it.
Die Stille nach dem lauten Konzert wirkte absolut surreal.
The silence after the loud concert felt absolutely surreal.
'Surreal' is often used with verbs that describe a perception or impression. Typical constructions are 'surreal wirken' (to seem surreal), 'surreal aussehen' (to look surreal), or 'sich surreal anfühlen' (to feel surreal).
Die verlassene Fabrikhalle fühlte sich im Nebel surreal an.
The abandoned factory hall felt surreal in the fog.
This adjective often describes abstract impressions or situations. Common combinations are 'eine surreale Atmosphäre' (a surreal atmosphere), 'eine surreale Szene' (a surreal scene), or 'ein surreales Erlebnis' (a surreal experience).
Als ich den berühmten Schauspieler zufällig im Supermarkt traf, war das ein surreales Erlebnis.
When I ran into the famous actor by chance at the supermarket, it was a surreal experience.
dreamlike
Traumhaft and surreal can both describe a scene that seems dreamlike. Traumhaft emphasizes the dreamlike impression, often with a beautiful or special effect; surreal places more emphasis on the unreal, bizarre, or fantastically contradictory. Choose surreal when reality seems unsettling or confusing.
Im Nebel sah die Bushaltestelle mitten auf dem leeren See surreal aus.
In the fog, the bus stop in the middle of the empty lake looked surreal.
Im Nebel sah der stille See mit den ersten Sonnenstrahlen traumhaft aus.
In the fog, the quiet lake looked dreamlike with the first rays of sunlight.
