reality TV

British

noun

television programmes focusing on members of the public living in conditions created especially by the programme makers

"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

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.

The game is also minting its own celebrities and fueling dramas that could pass for reality TV plotlines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

What was your understanding of what being on reality TV entailed?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

These days, being a limelight-seeking senator, swing-state governor, or New York City real estate developer who used to host a reality TV show can do the trick.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

The exploits of the bizarre animated characters, including "Strawberina" and a buff open-shirt "Bananito", parody reality TV tropes, from love triangles to emotional re-couplings.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

They’re both posing like they're on a modeling reality TV show, and above their heads is the caption: BEST-LOOKING.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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