Etymology 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.
City hall has its place, but this pub is the real heart of the town.
[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:
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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:
2
Genuine, not artificial, counterfeit, or fake.
This is real leather.
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):
3
Genuine, unfeigned, sincere.
These are real tears!
Whose perfection farr excell’d Hers in all real dignitie1667, 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:
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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:
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Actually being, existing, or occurring; not fictitious or imaginary.
a description of real life
I waked, and found / Before mine eyes all real, as the dream / Had lively shadowed.1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, 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:
5
That has objective, physical existence.
No one has ever seen a real unicorn.
6
Economics, Sciences Having been adjusted to remove the effects of inflation; measured in purchasing power (contrast nominal).
My dad calculated my family's real consumption per month.
What is the real GNP of this polity?
7
Economics, Sciences Relating to the result of the actions of rational agents; relating to neoclassical economic models as opposed to Keynesian models.
8
Mathematics, SciencesOf a number Being either a rational number, or the limit of a convergent infinite sequence of rational numbers: being one of a set of numbers with a one-to-one correspondence to the points on a line.
Many are perfect in men's humours that are not greatly capable of the real part of business.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Cunning”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
10
Absolute, complete, utter.
This is a real problem.
11
Slang Signifying meritorious qualities or actions, especially with regard to genuineness, groundedness, and true success rather than poser imitations of success.
I'm keeping it real.
12
Slang Firm through directness, readiness to confront.
yo, Imma be real with u... don't ever text me again
Etymology 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.
We were meeting in the Oval Office and I saw the morning news report and I just happened casually to mention to George I says- 'Well I'll betcha that President Johnson is gonna be real pleased when he finds that now they are calling me the number one bomber.' And George Christian said 'Oh don't be too sure.' He says, 'You know LBJ- he never likes to be number two.'1977, Nixon interviews, spoken by Richard Nixon, →OCLC:
real
noun
Etymology 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.
1
A commodity; see realty.
2
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences One of the three genders that the common gender can be separated into in the Scandinavian languages.
There have been several classical constructions of the reals that avoid these problems, the most famous ones being Dedekind Cuts and Cauchy Sequences, named respectively for the mathematicians Richard Dedekind (1831 - 1916) and Augustine Cauchy (1789 - 1857). We will not discuss these constructions here, but will use a more modern one developed by Gabriel Stolzenberg, based on "interval arithmetic."2007, Mark Bridges, REAL ANALYSIS: A Constructive Approach, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, page 11:
Scotists, Thomists, Reals, Nominals1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
real
noun
UK /ɹeɪˈɑːl/ · US /ɹeɪˈɑl/
Etymology Borrowed from Spanish real (“royal”), from Latin rēgālis (“regal, royal”). Doublet of ariary, regal, riyal, and royal.
1
Former unit of currency of Spain and Spain's colonies.
2
A coin worth one real.
real
noun
Etymology From Portuguese real (“royal”), from Latin rēgālis (“regal; royal”). Doublet of ariary, regal, riyal, and royal.
1
A unit of currency used in Portugal and its colonies from 1430 until 1911, and in Brazil from 1790 until 1942.
2
A coin worth one real.
real
noun
Etymology From Portuguese real (“royal”), from Latin rēgālis (“regal; royal”). Doublet of ariary, regal, riyal, and royal.
1
A unit of currency used in Brazil since 1994. Symbol: R$.
Within weeks of this bombshell, an aide to the brother of the chairman of the PT, José Genoino, was arrested boarding a flight with 200,000 reais in a suitcase and $100,000 in his underpants.2011, Perry Anderson, “Lula's Brazil”, in London Review of Books, 33.VII: