actuality

American  

[ak-choo-al-i-tee] / ˌæk tʃuˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

actualities

1. actual existence; reality.

2. an actual condition or circumstance; fact.

   Space travel is now an actuality.

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actuality British  

/ ˌæktʃʊˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. true existence; reality

2. (sometimes plural) a fact or condition that is real

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Other Word Forms

• nonactuality noun

Etymology

Origin of actuality

1350–1400; Middle English actualite < Medieval Latin āctuālitās. See actual, -ity

Explanation

Actuality is the quality of being real or true. You might wish you could make friends with a bear, but in actuality, you should definitely not climb into the grizzly enclosure at the zoo. Use this word for anything that's objectively factual — you may be terrified of flying, but in actuality it's much safer than riding in a car. Before it meant "state of being real," the word actuality was defined as "power," from the Latin root actus, or "doing." The meaning had shifted by the 1670s, first to "existing conditions," from the French actuel, "up to date," and then to the current definition.

Example Sentences

The five years, in actuality, starts from the point at which United get the green light to put spades in the ground.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

In actuality, the song draws from “a three- or four-day period of my life that I blew up into this big thing,” Rapp said.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2025

In actuality, they’ll be weakening one of the great checks against the actual threat—emboldening the real danger that is sitting, and amassing further power, within.

From Slate • May 15, 2025

In actuality, DoorDash pocketed those tips, adding the funds to the driver's base pay instead of giving them the full tips they earned.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2025

Ben and Mary Anne felt all eyes were upon them when in actuality no one noticed them at all.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy