real

[ ree-uhl, reel ]

/ ˈri əl, ril /

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See synonyms for: real / reais / reales / reals on Thesaurus.com

adjective

true; not merely ostensible, nominal, or apparent: the real reason for an act.

existing or occurring as fact; actual rather than imaginary, ideal, or fictitious: a story taken from real life.

being an actual thing; having objective existence; not imaginary: The events you will see in the film are real and not just made up.

being actually such; not merely so-called: a real victory.

genuine; not counterfeit, artificial, or imitation; authentic: a real antique;a real diamond;real silk.

unfeigned or sincere: real sympathy;a real friend.

Informal. absolute; complete; utter: She's a real brain.

Philosophy.

existent or pertaining to the existent as opposed to the nonexistent.
actual as opposed to possible or potential.
independent of experience as opposed to phenomenal or apparent.

(of money, income, or the like) measured in purchasing power rather than in nominal value: Inflation has driven income down in real terms, though nominal income appears to be higher.

Optics. (of an image) formed by the actual convergence of rays, as the image produced in a camera (opposed to virtual).

Mathematics.

of, relating to, or having the value of a real number.
using real numbers: real analysis; real vector space.

adverb

Informal. very or extremely: You did a real nice job painting the house.

noun

real number.

the real,

something that actually exists, as a particular quantity.
reality in general.

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Idioms about real

for real, Informal.

in reality; actually: You mean she dyed her hair green for real?
true to fact; actual: The company's plans to relocate are for real.
genuine; sincere: I don't believe his friendly attitude is for real.

Origin of real

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English real(le) “actual, having physical existence); (law) pertaining to goods or property,” from Old French reel, real and Medieval Latin reālis “(law) pertaining to things rather than persons,” from Late Latin reālis “actual, real,” equivalent to Latin re-, variant stem of rēs “thing, matter, affair” + -ālis -al¹

synonym study for real

1-5. Real, actual, true in general use describe objects, persons, experiences, etc., that are what they are said or purport to be. That which is described as real is genuine as opposed to counterfeit, false, or merely supposed: a real emerald; real leather binding; My real ambition is to be a dentist. Actual usually stresses contrast with another state of affairs that has been proposed or suggested: The actual cost is much less; to conceal one's actual motive. True implies a perfect correspondence with actuality and is in direct contrast to that which is false or inaccurate: a true account of the events; not bravado but true courage. See also authentic.

usage note for real

The intensifying adverb real, meaning “very,” is informal and limited to speech or to written representations of speech: He drives a real beat-up old car. The adjective real meaning “true, actual, genuine, etc.,” is standard in all types of speech and writing: Their real reasons for objecting became clear in the discussion. The informal adjective sense “absolute, complete” is also limited to speech or representations of speech: These interruptions are a real bother.

OTHER WORDS FROM real

re·al·ness, noun

Other definitions for real (2 of 3)

real²

[ rey-ahl; Spanish re-ahl ]

/ reɪˈɑl; Spanish rɛˈɑl /

noun, plural re·als

[rey-ahlz], /reɪˈɑlz/, Spanish re·a·les

[re-ah-les]. /rɛˈɑ lɛs/.

a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, the eighth part of a peso.

Origin of real

First recorded in 1550–60; from Spanish: literally, “royal” (the coins being minted for the king), from Latin rēgālis regal¹

Other definitions for real (3 of 3)

real³

[ rey-ahl; Portuguese re-ahl ]

/ reɪˈɑl; Portuguese rɛˈɑl /

noun

singular of reis.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use real in a sentence

Our inability to start our formal agency review process has the potential to have real impacts on families across the country.
Live updates: Georgia secretary of state issues correction, saying certification of its general election results is still under way|John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz, Michelle Lee|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Many of the families and individuals who stay overnight here do so every season, so there’s a real community feel to it.
10 Ski Areas Where You Can Camp in the Parking Lot|Megan Michelson|November 20, 2020|Outside Online
The real fear was that a Group of Five school might knock off a Power Five heavyweight, much the same way that UCF beat Auburn.
Cincinnati and BYU are making a case for the College Football Playoff. Is anyone listening?|John Feinstein|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Hydrogen, like carbon-capture-and-storage, offers the chance to push those real cuts closer to an actual zero.
The hydrogen economy: Hyped for years, the most abundant element in the universe is finally having its moment|kdunn6|November 19, 2020|Fortune

However, real estate data shows that this may not signal a long-term, permanent trend.
Amazon update: Second headquarters development and the area’s housing market|Michele Lerner|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
While Drake is redefining realness, Iggy is effectively “passing.”
The Cultural Crimes of Iggy Azalea|Amy Zimmerman|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Expect rhinestone realness from pop's current queen of all things shiny, girly, and extravagant.
The Top 10 Summer Concert Tours|The Daily Beast|June 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She hopes it retains a genuine realness, “which is what audiences respond to,” alongside its levity.
Watching Us, Watching Them: On ‘The People’s Couch’|Tim Teeman|March 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But no spineless relativism is necessary to recognize that, for most human beings, realness comes in various flavors.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers|Michael Schulson|November 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mars further muscles through Cancer, and he is a warrior for realness.
What the Stars Hold for Your Week|Starsky + Cox|August 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
And I make not even the intellect side of this book, which is a Realness to me, without sweet fine sweatings of blood.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLane
The realness of that sacrifice of His stands out very vividly in the intensity of His feelings, of which we get only glimpses.
Quiet Talks with World Winners|S. D. Gordon
I dont believe realness counts at all with young men, I said.
The Celebrity at Home|Violet Hunt
It ticks away companionably, as if to reassure me of its realness.
The Camp Fire Girls on the Open Road|Hildegard G. Frey
But the realness and the bigness of the job here in London is simply oppressive.
The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page, Volume I|Burton J. Hendrick

British Dictionary definitions for real (1 of 3)

real¹

/ (ˈrɪəl) /

adjective

existing or occurring in the physical world; not imaginary, fictitious, or theoretical; actual

(prenominal) true; actual; not falsethe real reason

(prenominal) deserving the name; rightly so calleda real friend; a real woman

not artificial or simulated; genuinereal sympathy; real fur

(of food, etc) traditionally made and having a distinct flavourreal ale; real cheese

philosophy existent or relating to actual existence (as opposed to nonexistent, potential, contingent, or apparent)

(prenominal) economics (of prices, incomes, wages, etc) considered in terms of purchasing power rather than nominal currency value

(prenominal) denoting or relating to immovable property such as land and tenementsreal property Compare personal

physics Compare image (def. 2)

maths involving or containing real numbers alone; having no imaginary part

music

(of the answer in a fugue) preserving the intervals as they appear in the subject
denoting a fugue as having such an answerCompare tonal (def. 3)

informal (intensifier)a real fool; a real genius

the real thing the genuine article, not an inferior or mistaken substitute

noun

short for real number

the real that which exists in fact; reality

for real slang not as a test or trial; in earnest

Derived forms of real

realness, noun

Word Origin for real

C15: from Old French réel, from Late Latin reālis, from Latin rēs thing

British Dictionary definitions for real (2 of 3)

real²

/ (reɪˈɑːl, Spanish reˈal) /

noun plural reals or reales (Spanish reˈales)

a former small Spanish or Spanish-American silver coin

Word Origin for real

C17: from Spanish, literally: royal, from Latin rēgālis; see regal 1

British Dictionary definitions for real (3 of 3)

real³

/ (Portuguese reˈal) /

noun plural reis (rəjʃ)

the standard monetary unit of Brazil, divided into 100 centavos

a former coin of Portugal

Word Origin for real

ultimately from Latin rēgālis regal 1

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with real

real

In addition to the idiom beginning with real

real McCoy, the

also see:

for real
get real

real

Idioms about real

Origin of real

synonym study for real

usage note for real

OTHER WORDS FROM real

Other definitions for real (2 of 3)

Origin of real

Other definitions for real (3 of 3)

Words related to real

How to use real in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for real (1 of 3)

Derived forms of real

Word Origin for real

British Dictionary definitions for real (2 of 3)

Word Origin for real

British Dictionary definitions for real (3 of 3)

Word Origin for real

Other Idioms and Phrases with real