Synonyms

real-life

American

[ree-uhl-lahyf, reel-] / ˈri əlˌlaɪf, ˈril- /

adjective

existing or happening in reality.

real-life drama.

real life British

noun

1. actual human life, as lived by real people, esp contrasted with the lives of fictional or fantasy characters
  
  miracles don't happen in real life
2. ( as modifier )
  
  a real-life mystery

"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

Etymology

Origin of real-life

First recorded in 1830–40

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.

While the crimes that happened in the film may not have actually happened, the personalities of the fictional parties involved may as well be yanked from real-life Minnesotans.

From Salon

Tapping a vast ecosystem of parts suppliers and engineering talent, they are starting to produce humanoid robots at scale and actively introducing them into real-life scenarios in factories, hotels and offices.

From The Wall Street Journal

But sadly, her visits to the real-life Bridgerton locations haven't yet yielded any sightings of the show being filmed, as she'd hoped.

From BBC

Lately, real-life employees are taking a stand.

From The Wall Street Journal

Our teachers took us to Plymouth Rock, Bunker Hill, Walden Pond, Salem, and most novel for a group of teenage Manhattanites, a real-life mall, the kind we saw only on television.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023