reality

American  

[ree-al-i-tee] / riˈæl ɪ ti /

noun

• realities
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• nonreality
  noun
• proreality
  noun
• antireality
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• realities
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of reality

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

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Explanation

Reality is the way things actually are, not the way you might want them to be. Many TV shows claim to be reality, but they are really just pretend. The only actual reality is the life that happens every day. The noun reality harkens back to the late Latin realis, and later to the mid-16th Century Medieval Latin reālitās, referring to legal property matters, with the current meaning of "true existence" not coming about until 1647. Philosophers and scientists often debate about the true nature of reality, and a common philosophy is that a person’s reality is whatever he or she thinks it is. Or, as film director Tim Burton once said, "One person's craziness is another person's reality."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reality realities

“Everyone says safety and security is the number one priority, but in reality, making money is the number one priority. At times there is tension between the two.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Raman entered the race as a long-shot candidate but slowly shored up support, especially from younger voters, before besting reality star Spencer Pratt in the primary race earlier this year.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Raman’s status as mayor-elect would have seemed nearly unthinkable at the start of the year, when Bass’ challengers included former reality TV star Spencer Pratt, former L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

But the reality of a diplomatic solution in the near term to the Iran war, may still remain quite distant, said Jordan Rizzuto, managing partner and CIO at GammaRoad Capital Partners.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

I snap back to reality and shove a forkful of spaghetti into my mouth.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

The business realities of independent digital journalism have changed profoundly over the years.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

The Moneyist weighs in on the harsh financial realities that too many Americans face.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

It said at the time it was prepared to work constructively with the council but expected "an informed, consistent and fair assessment process that recognises the realities of modern, non-conventional restaurants".

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Apple picking has become for families what “leaf peeping” is for new couples on their first weekend away: A high-stakes quest for joy that simultaneously raises a host of not-as-advertised realities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

He left St. Louis for a job editing a rural Michigan newspaper but found that the realities of being a small-town editor did not live up to the fantasy.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

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Related Words

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

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