Real Meaning
/ɹiːl/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjTrue, genuine, not merely nominal or apparent.
adjGenuine, not artificial, counterfeit, or fake.
Sentence Examples
I'm not a real fish, I'm just a mere plushy.
There are no real visions.
Your essay does not address the real issues.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective knew the diamond was ____ because it scratched the glass easily.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The painting turned out to be a ____ Rembrandt, worth several million pounds at auction.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís Proto-Italic *reis Latin rēs Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Late Latin -ālis Late Latin reālisder. Old French reelbor. Middle English real English real From Middle English real, from Old French reel, from Late Latin reālis (“actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”), from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís (“wealth, goods”). Doublet of realis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[T]he real reason he didn't come was because he was scared of flying[.]"
— 2007, Jim Kokoris, The Rich Part of Life: A Novel, →ISBN, page 179:
"Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee."
— 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
"An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine."
— 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 5 (Technology Quarterly):
"Whose perfection farr excell’d Hers in all real dignitie"
— 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
"The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you[…]"share the things you love with the world" and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people's control of their own attention."
— 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective knew the diamond was ____ because it scratched the glass easily.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The painting turned out to be a ____ Rembrandt, worth several million pounds at auction.