actual
Americanadjective
-
existing in reality or as a matter of fact
-
real or genuine
-
existing at the present time; current
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informal (usually preceded by your) (intensifier)
that music's by your actual Mozart, isn't it?
Usage
The excessive use of actual and actually should be avoided. They are unnecessary in sentences such as in actual fact, he is forty-two, and he did actually go to the play but did not enjoy it
Related Words
See real 1.
Other Word Forms
- actualness noun
- nonactual adjective
- nonactualness noun
Etymology
Origin of actual
First recorded in 1275–1325; from Late Latin āctuālis, from Latin āctu(s) act + -ālis -al 1; replacing Middle English actuel, from Middle French, from Latin
Compare meaning
How does actual compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Previous methods used approximations that treat radiation as a sort of fluid, which does not reflect its actual behavior," Zhang explained.
From Science Daily
But rather than spike and decline, like the headline rate, the actual rate of tariffs paid has risen gradually from around 5% in March to 14.1% by the end of September, the professors wrote.
From Barron's
It’s his actual residence, meaning when someone stays there, he has to book a hotel or crash on a friend’s couch.
From Los Angeles Times
What actual human being, assured of his right to live, would set about begging his oppressors to accept the sacrifice of his identity?
An Iberia spokeswoman said its flight went “through the area after all the actual debris had already fallen, so there was no safety risk.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
