reality check

American  

noun

1. a corrective confronting of reality, in order to counteract one's expectations, prejudices, or the like.

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reality check British  

noun

1. an occasion or opportunity to consider a matter realistically or honestly

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reality check Idioms  

1. An assessment to determine if one's circumstances or expectations conform to reality, as in Time for a reality check—wasn't this supposed to be a money-making enterprise? [Slang; second half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of reality check

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reality check

The viewership figures were a brutal reality check for a man whose self-worth is entirely tied to Nielsen points.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

Teirab, a former Marine and a Harvard Law graduate who’d run unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican, responded with a blunt reality check.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Now the decade’s hottest IPO represents a brutal reality check.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

The Nasdaq dropped 1.6% as AI stocks faced a harsh reality check.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

It was a total lie—but they needed a reality check, and they wouldn’t call Mamá to confirm my story.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall