reality

American  

[ree-al-i-tee] / riˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

plural

realities

1. the state or quality of being real.

2. resemblance to what is real.

3. a real thing or fact.

4. real things, facts, or events taken as a whole; state of affairs.

   the reality of the business world; vacationing to escape reality.

5. Philosophy.

   1. something that exists independently of ideas concerning it.

   2. something that exists independently of all other things and from which all other things derive.

6. something that is real.

7. something that constitutes a real or actual thing, as distinguished from something that is merely apparent.

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adjective

1. noting or pertaining to a TV program or film that portrays nonactors interacting or competing with each other in real but contrived situations, allegedly without a script.

   a popular reality show; reality TV.

idioms

1. in reality, in fact or truth; actually.

   brave in appearance, but in reality a coward.

reality British  

/ rɪˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of things as they are or appear to be, rather than as one might wish them to be

2. something that is real

3. the state of being real

4. philosophy

   1. that which exists, independent of human awareness

   2. the totality of facts as they are independent of human awareness of them See also conceptualism Compare appearance

5. actually; in fact

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Other Word Forms

• antireality adjective
• nonreality noun
• proreality noun

Etymology

Origin of reality

From the Medieval Latin word reālitās, dating back to 1540–50. See real ¹, -ity

Example Sentences

This was the reality under Mr. Maduro, who is now in a Brooklyn jail cell.

From The Wall Street Journal

“This is a customer-driven shift to create a stronger, more resilient and more profitable Ford,” CEO Jim Farley said in a statement last month, adding that the “operating reality has changed.”

From MarketWatch

In the face of such evidence, America’s national response must focus on equipping Americans for the realities of AI-driven change.

From MarketWatch

Investors also woke up to a simpler reality: Many large pharmaceutical companies are finally delivering on growth promises that had gone unappreciated.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Turning them into reality is hard. Turning them into being deployed at scale is even harder.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• existence
• matter
• phenomenon
• real world
• realism
• sensibility
• truth