real-life
adjective
existing or happening in reality.
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real-life
American
[ree-uhl-lahyf, reel-]
/ ˈri əlˌlaɪf, ˈril- /
adjective
real life
British
noun
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.
See Examples For:
"They are real-life Pokémon, really, if you think about it," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The case, known here as the divorce of the century, has mesmerized South Koreans—a real-life K-drama of money, romance, corruption and betrayal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Of the real-life people in these communities, Watkins says, “It’s really tough. The environment is extreme. There are no amenities. There’s no jobs. ... I think there’s a refusenik quality to them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
But in “Event Horizon,” Neill avoids hokeyness in what could otherwise be an extremely hokey film, finding the emotional center in a character whose inner demons become real-life manifestations of Hell.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Because so far, the real-life Duke was nothing like the noble and heroic one Fred knew from TV.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
Spilling off the internet and into real life, young volunteers to the movement have turned up dressed as cockroaches at clean-up drives and protests.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Sometimes real life can be the realest indie movie of all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Meta’s technology chief, Andrew Bosworth, said on a recent podcast that a user would say “remember this person” about someone they met in real life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
To better reflect real life, the researchers examined the effects of chronic, mild sleep loss, a pattern experienced by roughly 30% of adults.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
But it was real life, and real life doesn’t always sound like it should.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
