real

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Related to real: real estate, Real Player

real

true; existing; actual: the real reason

Not to be confused with:

reel – winding device; a spool; a dance: danced the Virginia Reel

re·al¹

(rē′əl, rēl)

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 reālis, from Latin rēs, thing; see rē- in Indo-European roots.]

real′ness 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

(rā-äl′)

n. pl. re·als or re·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; see reg- in Indo-European roots.]

re·al³

(rā-äl′)

n. pl. re·ais (rā-īsh′)

1. A unit of currency formerly used in Portugal.

2. See Table at currency.

[Portuguese, royal, real, from Latin rēgālis, royal; see real².]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

real

(ˈrɪəl)

adj

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

2. (prenominal) true; actual; not false: the real reason.

3. (prenominal) deserving the name; rightly so called: a real friend; a real woman.

4. not artificial or simulated; genuine: real sympathy; real fur.

5. (Cookery) (of food, etc) traditionally made and having a distinct flavour: real ale; real cheese.

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

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

8. (Law) (prenominal) denoting or relating to immovable property such as land and tenements: real property. Compare personal

9. (General Physics) physics Compare image²

10. (Mathematics) maths involving or containing real numbers alone; having no imaginary part

11. (Classical Music) music

a. (of the answer in a fugue) preserving the intervals as they appear in the subject

b. denoting a fugue as having such an answer. Compare tonal³

12. informal (intensifier): a real fool; a real genius.

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

14. (Mathematics) short for real number

15. the real that which exists in fact; reality

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

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

ˈrealness n

real

(reɪˈɑːl; Spanish reˈal)

n, pl reals or reales (Spanish reˈales)

(Currencies) a former small Spanish or Spanish-American silver coin

[C17: from Spanish, literally: royal, from Latin rēgālis; see regal¹]

real

(Portuguese reˈal)

n, pl reis (rəjʃ)

1. (Currencies) the standard monetary unit of Brazil, divided into 100 centavos

2. (Currencies) a former coin of Portugal

[ultimately from Latin rēgālis regal¹]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

re•al¹

(ˈri əl, ril)

adj.

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

2. actual rather than imaginary, ideal, or fictitious: real events; a story taken from real life.

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

4. genuine; authentic: real pearls.

5. unfeigned or sincere: real sympathy.

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

7. Philos.

a. existent as opposed to nonexistent.

b. actual as opposed to possible or potential.

c. independent of experience as opposed to phenomenal or apparent.

8. (of wages, income, or money) measured in purchasing power rather than in nominal value.

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

10. Law. of or pertaining to immovable or permanent things, as lands or buildings.

11. Math.

a. of, pertaining to, or having the value of a real number.

b. using real numbers: real analysis; real vector space.

adv.

12. Informal. very or extremely: You did a real nice job.

13. real number.

14. the real,

a. something that actually exists.

b. reality in general.

Idioms:

for real,

a. in reality; actually.

b. genuine; sincere.

[1400–50; late Middle English < Late Latin reālis= Latin re-, variant s. of rēs thing + -ālis -al¹]

re′al•ness, n.

re•al²

(reɪˈɑl; Sp. rɛˈɑl)

n., pl. re•als (reɪˈɑlz)
Sp. re•a•les (rɛˈɑ lɛs)

a former silver coin of Spain and Spanish America, equal to ? of a peso.

[1605–15; < Sp: royal < Latin rēgālis regal]

re•al³

(reɪˈɑl)

n.

sing. of reis.

real

Real is used to say that something actually exists.

...real or imagined feelings of inferiority.

Robert squealed in mock terror, then in real pain.

You also use real to say that a substance or object is genuine and not artificial.

I would never wear real fur.

Rudolph couldn't tell whether the jewellery was real or not.

Some American speakers use real in front of an adjective or adverb for emphasis when speaking informally.

That suit looks real nice.

I'm being looked after real well.

This use is generally regarded as incorrect, both in British and American English. Instead of 'real', you should use really.

It was really good.

He did it really carefully.

See really

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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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

real

adjective

1. true, actual, genuine, concrete, sincere, tangible, honest, factual, existent, palpable, dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal), unimagined, unfeigned No, it wasn't a dream. It was real.

2. genuine, authentic, bona fide, dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal) the smell of real leather
genuine affected, false, fake, faked, imaginary, imitation, counterfeit, feigned, insincere

3. proper, true, valid, legitimate His first real girlfriend.

4. true, actual This was the real reason for her call.

5. typical, true, earnest, genuine, sincere, unaffected, heartfelt, wholehearted, untainted, dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal), unfeigned, unpretended Their expressions of regret did not smack of real sorrow.

6. serious, pressing, worrying, significant, severe, urgent, weighty Global warming is a real problem.

7. complete, right, complete, total, perfect, positive, absolute, utter, thorough, veritable, out-and-out You must think I'm a real idiot.

adverb

1. (U.S. informal) extremely, very, really, particularly, seriously (informal), terribly, remarkably, unusually, jolly (Brit.), awfully (informal), uncommonly He's been trying real hard.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

real

adjective

1. Having verifiable existence:

concrete, objective, substantial, substantive, tangible.

2. In agreement or correspondence with fact:

actual, true.

3. Not counterfeit or copied:

actual, authentic, bona fide, genuine, good, indubitable, original, true, undoubted, unquestionable.

4. Devoid of any hypocrisy or pretense:

genuine, heartfelt, hearty, honest, natural, sincere, true, unaffected, unfeigned, unmannered.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

real verdadero auténtico efectivo muy

real

[rɪəl]

A. ADJ

1. (= true) [reason, surprise, talent, achievement, progress] → verdadero; [power] → efectivo, verdadero; [cost, income] → real; [threat, hardship] → serio, verdadero
Tina was not their real mother → Tina no era su verdadera madre
you're a real friend → eres un verdadero amigo (iro) → ¡vaya un amigo estás hecho!
the only real car accident that I've ever had → el único accidente de coche de verdad que he tenido jamás
we have no real reason to suspect him → no tenemos ninguna razón en particular para sospechar de él
it came as no real surprise to him → no le sorprendió en absoluto
now, that's a real paella! → ¡esto sí que es una paella (de verdad)!
get real! → ¡baja de las nubes!
there was real concern that the children were in danger → la gente estaba realmente preocupada por que los niños estuvieran en peligro
I was never in any real danger → nunca estuve realmente en peligro
the danger was very real → el peligro era muy real
there was no real evidence that → no había pruebas contundentes de que ...
my real home is in London → mi verdadera casa or mi casa de verdad está en Londres
he showed real interest in science → se mostraba verdaderamente interesado por la ciencia
in real life → en la vida real, en la realidad
real life just isn't like that → lo que pasa es que la vida real no es así
a real live film star → una estrella de cine en carne y hueso
a real man → un hombre de verdad → todo un hombre
she's in real pain → le duele de verdad
it's a real problem → es un verdadero problema
in real terms → en términos reales
to be in real trouble → estar metido en un buen lío
the real world → el mundo real

2. (= not fake) [gold] → de ley, auténtico; [leather, diamond] → auténtico; [flowers] → de verdad; [silk] → puro; [cream] → fresco
real coffee → café de cafetera, café de verdad
it was caviar, the real McCoy → era caviar del auténtico
this diamond's the real thing or the real McCoy → este diamante es auténtico
this isn't the real thing, it's just a copy → esto no es auténtico or genuino, es sólo una copia
this was definitely love, the real thing → esto era amor de verdad

3. (= great) → verdadero
it's a real shame → es una verdadera lástima
this dessert is a real treat → este postre es un verdadero gustazo
to make real money → ganar dinero de verdad

B. ADV (US) (= really) → muy
he wrote some real good stories → escribió unos relatos muy buenos or buenísimos
we had a real good time → lo pasamos realmente bien
it's real heavy → pesa mucho

C. N
for real → de veras, de verdad
is this guy for real? → ¿de qué va este tío?
are you for real? → ¿me estás tomando el pelo?

D. CPD real ale N → cerveza f de barril tradicional
real assets NPL → propiedad fsing inmueble, bienes mpl raíces
real estate N (US) → bienes mpl raíces, bienes mpl inmuebles
real property N = real estate real time N (Comput) → tiempo m real

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

real

(riəl) adjective

1. which actually exists. There's a real monster in that cave.de verdad, verdadero

2. not imitation; genuine. real leather; Is that diamond real?verdadero, auténtico

3. actual. He may own the factory, but it's his manager who is the real boss.verdadero

4. great. a real surprise/problem.verdadero

adverb

(especially American) very; really. a real nice house.muy; realmente

ˈrealist noun

a person who sees, or claims to see, life as it is, without being affected by emotion etc. realista

ˈrealism noun

realismo

ˌreaˈlistic adjective

(negative unrealistic).

1. showing things as they really are. a realistic painting.realista

2. taking a sensible, practical view of life. I'd like to think we'd sell five of these a day, but it would be more realistic to say two.realista

ˌreaˈlistically adverb

de forma realista

reality (riˈӕləti) noun

1. that which is real and not imaginary. It was a relief to get back to reality after hearing the ghost story.realidad

2. the state of being real. realidad

3. (often in plural – reˈalities) a fact. Death and sorrow are two of the grim realities of human existence.realidad

ˈreally adverb

1. in fact. He looks a fool but he is really very clever.en realidad

2. very. That's a really nice hat!realmente, muy

interjection

an expression of surprise, protest, doubt etc. `I'm going to be the next manager.' `Oh really?'; Really! You mustn't be so rude!¿de verdad?; de verdad, francamente

real estate

(the buying and selling of) land and houses. inmobiliaria

for real

(especially American) genuine; true. He says he's got a new bike, but I don't know if that's for real.verdad

in reality

really; actually. He pretends to be busy, but in reality he has very little to do.en realidad, en verdad, la verdad es que

real

→ auténtico , real , TRUE

real

a. real, verdadero-a, cierto-a;

adv. realmente, verdaderamente, ciertamente.

References in classic literature ?

Related to Emotion also and one of the most necessary elements in the higher forms of literature is Imagination, the faculty of making what is absent or unreal seem present and real, and revealing the hidden or more subtile forces of life.

View in context

The trembling clown replied that as he lived and by the oath he had sworn (though he had not sworn any) it was not so much; for there were to be taken into account and deducted three pairs of shoes he had given him, and a real for two blood-lettings when he was sick.

View in context

There was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but then she must be a real Princess.

View in context

"Is it possible that you are a Real Horse?" he murmured.

View in context

"I am half convinced that you are real," he said at last.

View in context

"Those," they explained, "will be cheaper than real ones."

View in context

The real Banking-house by Temple Bar, the real business of the past day, the real strong rooms, the real express sent after him, and the real message returned, would all be there.

View in context

But just as doubts of the real value of paper money arise either because, being easy to make, too much of it gets made or because people try to exchange it for gold, so also doubts concerning the real value of such histories arise either because too many of them are written or because in his simplicity of heart someone inquires: by what force did Napoleon do this?- that is, wants to exchange the current paper money for the real gold of actual comprehension.

View in context

I hope I have given some assurance that the adventures of my dog hero in this novel are real adventures in a very real cannibal world.

View in context

One little friend, who read this story before it was printed, said to me: "Billina is REAL OZZY, Mr.

View in context

"Do they know that I play games exactly like real boys?" he asked very proudly.

View in context

The baby is real pretty, dressed up in its nice little clothes.

View in context

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