real
/ˈriː.əl/ IELTSAcademic
adjective
- 1.
Real means actual and not imagined, copied, or fake. It can also mean true or genuine in everyday use.
- Is this gold real?
- That story happened in real life.
- She gave me her real name.
- 2.
Real can mean important, serious, or strong in informal speech. People use it to stress that something is very noticeable.
- We have a real problem here.
- He showed real courage.
- That's a real improvement.
Adinary Nuance
Real is close to words like true, actual, and genuine, but it is broader. Use true for facts and statements, actual for something existing in fact, and genuine for something not fake. Real is the most general word when you want to say something is not imagined or not fake.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- thật
- Spanish
- real
- Chinese
- 真实的
- Japanese
- 本当の
- Korean
- 진짜의
Etymology
Real comes from Old French real, from Latin realis, meaning 'of things'. It entered English in the Middle Ages.
Common phrases
real lifereal meaningreal problemreal deal
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between real and true?
- Real usually means actual or not fake. True usually means correct or based on facts.
- Is real formal or informal?
- Real is a common everyday word. It is suitable for speaking and writing.
- Can real mean very strong?
- Yes. In informal English, real can mean very serious or very noticeable.