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Synonyms

in reality

Idioms  

  1. Actually, in fact, as in He may seem slow to you, but in reality he's very intelligent. [Second half of 1600s]

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.

In reality, he was simply biding his time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

In reality, this is the percentage move that is smaller than six of the past ten post-earnings moves in this stock.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026

In reality, Lolita is the work of a man who calls himself Tom, a 32-year-old visual designer who said he did not necessarily mean for his creation to have a Roma identity.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

In reality, AI does not possess beliefs or feelings.

From Science Daily • Apr. 19, 2026

In reality there had been no one, so that toward the end of college, as graduation loomed, she was convinced in her bones that there would be no one at all.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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.