real-life
adjective
existing or happening in reality.
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:
It also helps students understand nonverbal communication, which is key for overcoming the “uncertainty” with real-life interaction that Mr. Kessler rightly flags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Fjord” is based on a controversial real-life 2015 case in which Norway’s child protective services sought to separate a couple from their five children on charges that the parents hit them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Iñárritu reveals that all of this is rehearsal for a new production of the cult-classic play “Fossil Fools,” about a real-life climate disaster and its players who changed the world forever.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Children approach large language models as a salve from real-life social pressures, only to end up feeling more isolated than before.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
Mrs. Winstead—a real-life witch—doesn’t let me get to the surprise ending.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
In real life it is a warehouse of expensive computers, a power line, a cooling plant and a cable.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
But just as often, these turn out to be children’s fantasies — wide-eyed dreams of imaginary futures, tempered by real life.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
In Mr. Harris’s telling, the crotchetiness of Mr. David’s fictional stand-ins is offset in real life by his talent and even conviviality; at the University of Maryland, he was elected fraternity president.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“I didn’t want that clean, wholesome life ... It felt so fake. I identified with real people, oppressed people who were outside that life. I wanted to taste real life — street life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
And I can’t believe that something like that would emanate from my room in real life.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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.
