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adj. 1. 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. n. Idiom: 1. A thing or whole having actual existence. Often used with the: theories beyond the realm of the real. 2. 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; see rē- in the Appendix of 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. |
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