Dreamworld

/ˈdriːmwɜːrld/ noun

Definition

An imaginary or fictional world; a fantasy realm or surreal environment; one's inner mental world of dreams and imagination.

Etymology

From dream + world (Old English weorold, from wer 'man' + ald 'age,' literally 'age of man'). This straightforward compound dates to modern English but captures the idea of a complete alternative reality.

Kelly Says

In the 1960s, psychologist William James argued that each person's dreamworld is actually more real to them neurologically than waking life—your brain processes dream sensations identically to real ones, which explains why nightmares feel absolutely terrifying.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.