adj.
- Being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verifiable existence: real objects; a real illness.
- True and actual; not imaginary, alleged, or ideal: real people, not ghosts; a film based on real life.
- Of or founded on practical matters and concerns: a recent graduate experiencing the real world for the first time.
- Genuine and authentic; not artificial or spurious: real mink; real humility.
- Being no less than what is stated; worthy of the name: a real friend.
- Free of pretense, falsehood, or affectation: tourists hoping for a real experience on the guided tour.
- Not to be taken lightly; serious: in real trouble.
- Philosophy. Existing objectively in the world regardless of subjectivity or conventions of thought or language.
- Relating to, being, or having value reckoned by actual purchasing power: real income; real growth.
- Physics. Of, relating to, or being an image formed by light rays that converge in space.
- Mathematics. Of, relating to, or being a real number.
- Law. Of or relating to stationary or fixed property, such as buildings or land.
Very: I'm real sorry about that.
n.
- A thing or whole having actual existence. Often used with the: theories beyond the realm of the real.
- Mathematics. A real number.
for real Slang.
- Truly so in fact or actuality: "Is this place for real? A wolf in a ... leisure suit and a cow in a print dress wait patiently on the couch in the lobby" (Teresa Carson).
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin reālis, from Latin rēs, thing.]
realness real'ness n.SYNONYMS real, actual, true, existent. These adjectives mean not being imaginary but having verifiable existence. Real implies authenticity, genuineness, or factuality: Don't lose the bracelet; it's made of real gold. She showed real sympathy for my predicament. Actual means existing and not merely potential or possible: "rocks, trees ... the actual world" (Henry David Thoreau). True implies consistency with fact, reality, or actuality: "It is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true" (Bertrand Russell). Existent applies to what has life or being: Much of the beluga caviar existent in the world is found near the Caspian Sea. See also synonyms at authentic.
re·al2 (rā-äl')
n., pl., -als, or -al·es (-ä'lĕs).
A silver coin formerly used in Spain and Latin America.
[Spanish, royal, real, from Latin rēgālis, royal, from rēx, rēg-, king.]
re·al3 (rā-äl')
n., pl., re·ais (-īsh').
- A monetary unit formerly used in Portugal.
- A basic unit of currency in Brazil.
[Portuguese, royal, real, from Latin rēgālis, royal. See real2.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
