real

[ ree-uhl, reel ]

/ ˈri əl, ril /

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See synonyms for: real / reais / reales / reals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

true; not merely ostensible, nominal, or apparent: the real reason for an act.

existing or occurring as fact; actual rather than imaginary, ideal, or fictitious: a story taken from real life.

being an actual thing; having objective existence; not imaginary: The events you will see in the film are real and not just made up.

being actually such; not merely so-called: a real victory.

genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic: a real antique;a real diamond;real silk.

unfeigned or sincere: real sympathy;a real friend.

Informal. absolute; complete; utter: She's a real brain.

Philosophy.

existent or pertaining to the existent as opposed to the nonexistent.
actual as opposed to possible or potential.
independent of experience as opposed to phenomenal or apparent.

(of money, income, or the like) measured in purchasing power rather than in nominal value: Inflation has driven income down in real terms, though nominal income appears to be higher.

Optics. (of an image) formed by the actual convergence of rays, as the image produced in a camera (opposed to virtual).

Mathematics.

of, relating to, or having the value of a real number.
using real numbers: real analysis; real vector space.

adverb

Informal. very or extremely: You did a real nice job painting the house.

noun

real number.

the real,

something that actually exists, as a particular quantity.
reality in general.

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Idioms about real

for real, Informal.

in reality; actually: You mean she dyed her hair green for real?
true to fact; actual: The company's plans to relocate are for real.
genuine; sincere: I don't believe his friendly attitude is for real.

Origin of real

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English real(le) “actual, having physical existence); (law) pertaining to goods or property,” from Old French reel, real and Medieval Latin reālis “(law) pertaining to things rather than persons,” from Late Latin reālis “actual, real,” equivalent to Latin re-, variant stem of rēs “thing, matter, affair” + -ālis -al¹

synonym study for real

1-5. Real, actual, true in general use describe objects, persons, experiences, etc., that are what they are said or purport to be. That which is described as real is genuine as opposed to counterfeit, false, or merely supposed: a real emerald; real leather binding; My real ambition is to be a dentist. Actual usually stresses contrast with another state of affairs that has been proposed or suggested: The actual cost is much less; to conceal one's actual motive. True implies a perfect correspondence with actuality and is in direct contrast to that which is false or inaccurate: a true account of the events; not bravado but true courage. See also authentic.

usage note for real

The intensifying adverb real, meaning “very,” is informal and limited to speech or to written representations of speech: He drives a real beat-up old car. The adjective real meaning “true, actual, genuine, etc.,” is standard in all types of speech and writing: Their real reasons for objecting became clear in the discussion. The informal adjective sense “absolute, complete” is also limited to speech or representations of speech: These interruptions are a real bother.

OTHER WORDS FROM real

re·al·ness, noun

Words nearby real

Reaganomics, Reagan, Ronald, reagent, reagin, reaginic antibody, real, real ale, real axis, real cost, real estate, real-estate investment trust

Other definitions for real (2 of 3)

real²

[ rey-ahl; Spanish re-ahl ]

/ reɪˈɑl; Spanish rɛˈɑl /

noun, plural re·als

[rey-ahlz], /reɪˈɑlz/, Spanish re·a·les

[re-ah-les]. /rɛˈɑ lɛs/.

a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, the eighth part of a peso.

Origin of real

First recorded in 1550–60; from Spanish: literally, “royal” (the coins being minted for the king), from Latin rēgālis regal¹

Other definitions for real (3 of 3)

real³

[ rey-ahl; Portuguese re-ahl ]

/ reɪˈɑl; Portuguese rɛˈɑl /

noun

singular of reis.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use real in a sentence

We’re looking for speakers who can present real-life case studies and actionable ideas that search marketers can put to use immediately to overcome the challenges of this new reality.
SMX is Coming to You in December 2020: Be a Part of it!|Kathy Bushman|September 17, 2020|Search Engine Land
The real uncertainty is around international students and postgraduate students.
UK Universities Predicted a COVID-19 Crash. They Got the Opposite|Fiona Zublin|September 17, 2020|Ozy
As stated on the official website, TikTok is made for real people to create real videos.
What you must know about TikTok for business|Connie Benton|September 17, 2020|Search Engine Watch
“I’m really excited about this change, and I think it has the potential to be a real game-changer for many students,” Whitehurst-Payne said.
When a Calculus Class Abruptly Became Ceramics at Lincoln High|Scott Lewis|September 16, 2020|Voice of San Diego

That whole you-complete-me thing, it’s a Hollywood creation that’s not real.
Get Gabrielle Union’s Best Career Advice|Joshua Eferighe|September 16, 2020|Ozy
But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We haven't had any real fan reaction yet, but our collective fingers are crossed.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They say it's frightening how the real CIA is perceived to be as clueless as Archer Co.
‘Archer’ Creator Adam Reed Spills Season 6 Secrets, From Surreal Plotlines to Life Post-ISIS|Marlow Stern|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But if you listen to our leaders, they weren't the real targets here.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“This is a federal mandate that is causing some real problems for schools across the country,” Kline told a CBS affiliate in July.
The Republican War on Kale|Patricia Murphy|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was not until later days that Malcolm knew the real nature of the scene through which he rode.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
It was in the college stage that most of us made out our religion and made it real for ourselves.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
The real experience has a magnetism of its own and will win above mere technicality whenever it has the opportunity.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
If we are to have a real education along lines of expression we must begin with the "content," or cause, of expression.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Another time she might have smiled at the thought as fanciful: it seemed awfully real now.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood

British Dictionary definitions for real (1 of 3)

real¹

/ (ˈrɪəl) /

adjective

existing or occurring in the physical world; not imaginary, fictitious, or theoretical; actual

(prenominal) true; actual; not falsethe real reason

(prenominal) deserving the name; rightly so calleda real friend; a real woman

not artificial or simulated; genuinereal sympathy; real fur

(of food, etc) traditionally made and having a distinct flavourreal ale; real cheese

philosophy existent or relating to actual existence (as opposed to nonexistent, potential, contingent, or apparent)

(prenominal) economics (of prices, incomes, wages, etc) considered in terms of purchasing power rather than nominal currency value

(prenominal) denoting or relating to immovable property such as land and tenementsreal property Compare personal

physics Compare image (def. 2)

maths involving or containing real numbers alone; having no imaginary part

music

(of the answer in a fugue) preserving the intervals as they appear in the subject
denoting a fugue as having such an answerCompare tonal (def. 3)

informal (intensifier)a real fool; a real genius

the real thing the genuine article, not an inferior or mistaken substitute

noun

short for real number

the real that which exists in fact; reality

for real slang not as a test or trial; in earnest

Derived forms of real

realness, noun

Word Origin for real

C15: from Old French réel, from Late Latin reālis, from Latin rēs thing

British Dictionary definitions for real (2 of 3)

real²

/ (reɪˈɑːl, Spanish reˈal) /

noun plural reals or reales (Spanish reˈales)

a former small Spanish or Spanish-American silver coin

Word Origin for real

C17: from Spanish, literally: royal, from Latin rēgālis; see regal 1

British Dictionary definitions for real (3 of 3)

real³

/ (Portuguese reˈal) /

noun plural reis (rəjʃ)

the standard monetary unit of Brazil, divided into 100 centavos

a former coin of Portugal

Word Origin for real

ultimately from Latin rēgālis regal 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with real

real

In addition to the idiom beginning with real

real McCoy, the

also see:

for real
get real

real

Idioms about real

Origin of real

synonym study for real

usage note for real

OTHER WORDS FROM real

Words nearby real

Other definitions for real (2 of 3)

Origin of real

Other definitions for real (3 of 3)

Words related to real

How to use real in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for real (1 of 3)

Derived forms of real

Word Origin for real

British Dictionary definitions for real (2 of 3)

Word Origin for real

British Dictionary definitions for real (3 of 3)

Word Origin for real

Other Idioms and Phrases with real