dreamlike.

Resembling a dream in its unreal, indistinct, or fleeting quality.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• dreamlike atmosphere
• dreamlike sequence
• dreamlike quality

On the page

The delayed train arrived through the mist with a dreamlike hush of wheels.

Usage notes

Primary category: poetic / figurative / atmospheric. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Comparative more dreamlike; superlative most dreamlike when comparison is meaningful. Commonness: moderately common (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: MW includes unreal/transitory/vague qualities in both pleasant and frightening contexts. Direct scene adjective with no automatic positive mood. Writing functions: atmospheric description, sensory precision.