reality

[ree-al-i-tee]

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.

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.

reality

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• antireality adjective
• nonreality noun
• proreality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of reality¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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

   brave in appearance, but in reality a coward.

Example Sentences

Yet, she still needed to tap into her lived experience to guide the actors as they navigated this fiction constructed from her former reality.

From Los Angeles Times

The immersive “Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow” exhibit featured augmented reality experiences that let visitors use smartphones to bring new “life” to the vibrant, gory, goofy and grand pieces surrounding them.

From Los Angeles Times

“I probably shouldn’t say this, but here’s the reality that is humbling and keeps you from floating off into space,” Anderson tells me.

From Los Angeles Times

Democrats have also failed to adapt to the new reality that America is a failing democracy which is rapidly collapsing into a state of competitive authoritarianism.

From Salon

Last week, two former Meta safety researchers testified before the US Senate that Meta covered up potential harms to children stemming from its virtual reality products.

From BBC

Related Words

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