Epätodelliselta

Epätodelliselta is a Finnish adjective form meaning unreal or unbelievable. It comes from the negative prefix epäs- (epä-) attached to todellinen, meaning real, with the suffix -inen. The word is commonly used to describe something that seems not real, either literally or in a figurative sense, such as a situation, story, or appearance.

Grammatically, epätodellinen inflects like other adjectives, and epätodelliseltä is the adessive singular form used after verbs of perception or impression, for example tuntuu epätodelliseltalta or näyttää epätodelliseltalta. The noun form is epätodellisuus, meaning unreality, while the adverb form is epätodellisesti, meaning unrealistically or in an unreal manner.

Usage and nuance: epätodellinen can describe experiences, events, or narratives that feel outside ordinary reality. It is often used in both neutral and expressive contexts, ranging from journalism to everyday speech. It is closely related to, but not identical with, epärealistinen (unrealistic) or uskomaton (incredible). The choice between them depends on whether the emphasis is on perception (unreal to the senses) or on plausibility (not logically plausible).

Examples:

- Tilanne tuntuu epätodelliselta. (The situation feels unreal.)

- Tarina kuulostaa epätodelliseltalta. (The story sounds unreal/unbelievable.)

- Se vaikutti epätodelliseltalta. (It seemed unreal.)

Related forms include epätodellisuus (unreality) and epätodellisesti (unrealistically).