real

re·al¹ (r

l, r

adj.

a. Being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verifiable existence: real objects; a real illness.

b. True and actual; not imaginary, alleged, or ideal: real people, not ghosts; a film based on real life.

c. Of or founded on practical matters and concerns: a recent graduate experiencing the real world for the first time.

2. Genuine and authentic; not artificial or spurious: real mink; real humility.

3. Being no less than what is stated; worthy of the name: a real friend.

4. Free of pretense, falsehood, or affectation: tourists hoping for a real experience on the guided tour.

5. Not to be taken lightly; serious: in real trouble.

6. Philosophy Existing objectively in the world regardless of subjectivity or conventions of thought or language.

7. Relating to, being, or having value reckoned by actual purchasing power: real income; real growth.

8. Physics Of, relating to, or being an image formed by light rays that converge in space.

9. Mathematics Of, relating to, or being a real number.

10. Law Of or relating to stationary or fixed property, such as buildings or land.

adv. Informal

Very: I'm real sorry about that.

1. A thing or whole having actual existence. Often used with the: theories beyond the realm of the real.

2. Mathematics A real number.

Idiom:

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 relis, from Latin rs, thing; see r- in Indo-European roots.]

realness n.

Synonyms: real¹, 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 (r

-äl

)

n. pl. re·als or re·al·es (-ä

A silver coin formerly used in Spain and Latin America.

[Spanish, royal, real, from Latin rglis, royal, from rx, rg-, king; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]

real ¹

Adjective

1. existing or occurring in the physical world

2. actual: the real agenda

3. important or serious: the real challenge

4. rightly so called: a real friend

5. genuine: the council has no real authority

6. (of food or drink) made in a traditional way to ensure the best flavour

7. Maths involving or containing real numbers alone

8. relating to immovable property such as land or buildings: real estate

9. Econ (of prices or incomes) considered in terms of purchasing power rather than nominal currency value

10. the real thing the genuine article, not a substitute or imitation [Latin res thing]

real ²

Noun

a former small Spanish or Spanish-American silver coin [Spanish, literally: royal]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	real - any rational or irrational number real number dot product, inner product, scalar product - a real number (a scalar) that is the product of two vectors complex number, complex quantity, imaginary, imaginary number - (mathematics) a number of the form a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the square root of -1 rational, rational number - an integer or a fraction irrational, irrational number - a real number that cannot be expressed as a rational number
	2.	real - the basic unit of money in Brazil; equal to 100 centavos centavo - a fractional monetary unit of several countries: El Salvador and Sao Tome and Principe and Brazil and Argentina and Bolivia and Colombia and Cuba and the Dominican Republic and Ecuador and El Salvador and Guatemala and Honduras and Mexico and Nicaragua and Peru and the Philippines and Portugal Brazilian monetary unit - monetary unit in Brazil
	3.	real - an old small silver Spanish coin coin - a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money
Adj.	1.	real - being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory; "real objects"; "real people; not ghosts"; "a film based on real life"; "a real illness"; "real humility"; "Life is real! Life is earnest!"- Longfellow existent concrete - capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary; "concrete objects such as trees" echt, genuine - not fake or counterfeit; "a genuine Picasso"; "genuine leather" realistic - aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans" sincere - open and genuine; not deceitful; "he was a good man, decent and sincere"; "felt sincere regret that they were leaving"; "sincere friendship" unreal - lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria; "ghosts and other unreal entities"; "unreal propaganda serving as news"
	2.	real - no less than what is stated; worthy of the name; "the real reason"; "real war"; "a real friend"; "a real woman"; "meat and potatoes--I call that a real meal"; "it's time he had a real job"; "it's no penny-ante job--he's making real money" unreal - not actually such; being or seeming fanciful or imaginary; "this conversation is getting more and more unreal"; "the fantastically unreal world of government bureaucracy"; "the unreal world of advertising art"
	3.	real - not to be taken lightly; "statistics demonstrate that poverty and unemployment are very real problems"; "to the man sleeping regularly in doorways homelessness is real" serious - concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities; "a serious student of history"; "a serious attempt to learn to ski"; "gave me a serious look"; "a serious young man"; "are you serious or joking?"; "Don't be so serious!"
	4.	real - capable of being treated as fact; "tangible evidence"; "his brief time as Prime Minister brought few real benefits to the poor" tangible concrete - capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary; "concrete objects such as trees"
	5.	real - being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something; "her actual motive"; "a literal solitude like a desert"- G.K.Chesterton; "a genuine dilemma" literal, actual, genuine true - consistent with fact or reality; not false; "the story is true"; "it is undesirable to believe a proposition when there is no ground whatever for supposing it true"- B. Russell; "the true meaning of the statement"
	6.	real - of, relating to, or representing an amount that is corrected for inflation; "real prices"; "real income"; "real wages" economic science, economics, political economy - the branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management nominal - of, relating to, or characteristic of an amount that is not adjusted for inflation; "the nominal GDP"; "nominal interest rates"
	7.	real - having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary; "the substantial world"; "a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"; "most ponderous and substantial things"- Shakespeare substantial, material material - derived from or composed of matter; "the material universe"
	8.	real - (of property) fixed or immovable; "real property consists of land and buildings" tangible - (of especially business assets) having physical substance and intrinsic monetary value ; "tangible property like real estate"; "tangible assets such as machinery"
	9.	real - coinciding with reality; "perceptual error...has a surprising resemblance to veridical perception"- F.A.Olafson veridical realistic - aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans"
Adv.	1.	real - used as intensifiers; `real' is sometimes used informally for `really'; `rattling' is informal; "she was very gifted"; "he played very well"; "a really enjoyable evening"; "I'm real sorry about it"; "a rattling good yarn" rattling, very, really