real1

 
Pronunciation: /riːl/

adjective

  • 1actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed: Julius Caesar was a real person her many illnesses, real and imaginary
  • used to emphasize the significance or seriousness of a situation: there is a real danger of civil war the competitive threat from overseas is very real
  • Philosophy relating to something as it is, not merely as it may be described or distinguished: Locke’s distinction between the real and nominal essence of substances
  • 2(of a thing) not imitation or artificial; genuine: the earring was presumably real gold
  • true or actual: his real name is James this isn’t my real reason for coming
  • [attributive] rightly so called; proper: he’s my idea of a real man
  • 3 [attributive] informal complete; utter (used for emphasis): the tour turned out to be a real disaster
  • 4 [attributive] adjusted for changes in the value of money; assessed by purchasing power: real incomes had fallen by 30 per cent an increase in real terms of 11.6 per cent
  • 5 Mathematics (of a number or quantity) having no imaginary part. See imaginary
  • 6 Optics (of an image) of a kind in which the light that forms it actually passes through it; not virtual.

adverb

[as submodifier] informal, chiefly North American
  • really; very: my head hurts real bad

Phrases

for real

informal
used to assert that something is genuine or is actually the case: I’m not playing games—this is for real!
North American used in questions to express surprise or to question the truth or seriousness of what one has seen or heard: are these guys for real?

get real!

informal, chiefly North American used to convey that an idea or statement is foolish or overly idealistic: You want teens to have committed sexual relationships? Get real!

a real live ——

humorous used to emphasize the existence or presence of something surprising or unusual: a real live detective had been at the factory

real money

informal a significant amount of money: they are willing to put real money into research

the real thing

informal a thing that is absolutely genuine or authentic: you’ve never been in love before, so how can you be sure this is the real thing?

Derivatives

realness

noun

Origin:

late Middle English (as a legal term meaning 'relating to things, especially real property'): from Anglo-Norman French, from late Latin realis, from Latin res 'thing'