unreality

Unreality refers to the quality or condition of not being real, or of being perceived as not real. In everyday usage it contrasts with reality, the actual state of affairs, and can describe phenomena that are deceptive, dreamlike, or otherwise lacking veridical status. The term is often used more broadly to discuss experiences, representations, or beliefs that clinicians, philosophers, or artists treat as not part of the objective world.

In philosophy and ontology, unreality engages with questions about what counts as real, how things obtain reality, and how perception relates to truth. Discussions may address abstract objects, fictional entities, or virtual constructs, and how belief, negation, or counterfactual reasoning affects the status of unreality.

In psychology and psychiatry, unreality is used in descriptions of subjective experiences such as derealization and depersonalization, where the external world or the self feels unreal or estranged. These states can occur in stress, trauma, anxiety, or certain neurological conditions, and are distinguished from illusion or hallucination by their perceived source and dissociative quality.

In literature and the arts, unreality is a common theme that foregrounds dreamlike or fantastical elements. Movements such as surrealism and magical realism, as well as dream sequences and non-linear narratives, explore the tension between appearance and actuality and invite readers to question what is real.

With the rise of virtual environments, simulations, and digital media, unreality also appears as a descriptive term for experiences or representations that imitate or replace the real world. The concept is used in discussions of media realism, simulation theory, and the philosophical implications of artificial environments.