surrealism
[ suh-ree-uh-liz-uh m ]
/ səˈri əˌlɪz əm /
noun (sometimes initial capital letter)
a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century, stressing the subconscious or nonrational significance of imagery arrived at by automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, unexpected juxtapositions, etc.
OTHER WORDS FROM surrealism
sur·re·al·ist, noun, adjectiveWords nearby surrealism
surprise symphony,
surprising,
surra,
surratt,
surreal,
surrealism,
surrealistic,
surrebuttal,
surrebutter,
surrejoinder,
surrender
Example sentences from the Web for surrealist
British Dictionary definitions for surrealist
surrealism
/ (səˈrɪəˌlɪzəm) /
noun
(sometimes capital)
a movement in art and literature in the 1920s, which developed esp from dada, characterized by the evocative juxtaposition of incongruous images in order to include unconscious and dream elements
Derived forms of surrealism
surrealist, noun, adjective surrealistic, adjective surrealistically, adverbWord Origin for surrealism
C20: from French
surréalisme, from
sur-
1 +
réalisme
realism
Cultural definitions for surrealist
surrealism
A movement in art and literature that flourished in the early twentieth century. Surrealism aimed at expressing imaginative dreams and visions free from conscious rational control. Salvador Dali was an influential surrealist painter; Jean Cocteau was a master of surrealist film.