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

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

"I gave him a reality check of what married life would be like."

From BBC • May 19, 2026

That would set up an expected Nov. 3 runoff against Raman or former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, who are running neck-and-neck for a second-place finish.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

In one 2016 email, Chopra shared an article he had written arguing that everyday reality is a “human construct.”

From Salon • May 19, 2026

Commissions remain fully negotiable and market-driven, but in reality you can still expect to pay 5% or more.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

The reality crystallizes for me, though, when Dad instructs us to take off our blindfolds and Debbie and Zara are standing in front of us.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

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