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real part

American

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

Mathematics.

the number a in the complex number a + bi.

real part British

noun

the term a in a complex number a + i b , where i = √–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

Etymology

Origin of real part

First recorded in 1960–65

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.

“Somehow Christmas music brings comfort and I think that’s a real part of it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

Arthur admits that the Joker is a persona that is not real — Arthur is the only real part of him.

From Salon • Oct. 12, 2024

Yet, much like the entire $7.2 trillion federal budget, it is a bit of a phantasm—part real, part fantasy, part nightmare, not likely to materialize in life, except as a warped caricature of itself.

From Slate • Mar. 12, 2024

“This is a very real part of the museum,” she says, briefly poking her head out.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024

The horizontal axis represents the real part of the complex number, while the vertical axis represents the imaginary part.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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