Adjacent Words

Real definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RE'AL, a. [Low L. realis. The L. res and Eng. thing coincide exactly with the Heb. a word, a thing, an event. See Read and Thing.]
1. Actually being or existing; not fictitious or imaginary; as a description of real life. The author describes a real scene or transaction.
2. True; genuine; not artificial, counterfeit or factitious; as real Madeira wine; real ginger.
3. True; genuine; not affected; not assumed. The woman appears in her real character.
4. Relating to things, not to persons; not personal.
Many are perfect in men's humors, that are not greatly capable of the real part of business. [Little used or obsolete.]
5. In law, pertaining to things fixed, permanent or immovable, as to lands and tenements; as real estate, opposed to personal or movable property.
Real action, in law, is an action which concerns real property.
Real assets, assets consisting in real estate, or lands and tenements descending to an heir, sufficient to answer the charges upon the estate created by the ancestor.
Chattels real, are such chattels as concern or savor of the reality; as a term for years of land, wardships in chivalry, the next presentation to a church, estate by statue-merchant, elegit, etc.
Real composition, is when an agreement is made between the owner of lands and the parson or vicar, with consent of the ordinary, that such lands shall be discharged from payment of tithes, in consequence of other land or recompense given to the parson in lieu and satisfaction thereof.
Real presence, in the Romish church, the actual presence of the body and blood of Christ in the eucharist, or the conversion of the substance of the bread and wine into the real body and blood of Christ.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: 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 [syn: real, existent] [ant: unreal]
2: 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" [ant: unreal]
3: 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"
4: capable of being treated as fact; "tangible evidence"; "his brief time as Prime Minister brought few real benefits to the poor" [syn: real, tangible]
5: 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" [syn: actual, genuine, literal, real]
6: of, relating to, or representing an amount that is corrected for inflation; "real prices"; "real income"; "real wages" [ant: nominal]
7: 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 [syn: substantial, real, material] [ant: insubstantial, unreal, unsubstantial]
8: (of property) fixed or immovable; "real property consists of land and buildings"
9: coinciding with reality; "perceptual error...has a surprising resemblance to veridical perception"- F.A.Olafson [syn: veridical, real] n
1: any rational or irrational number [syn: real number, real]
2: the basic unit of money in Brazil; equal to 100 centavos
3: an old small silver Spanish coin adv
1: 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" [syn: very, really, real, rattling]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, real, relating to things (in law), from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin & Late Latin; Medieval Latin realis relating to things (in law), from Late Latin, real, from Latin res thing, fact; akin to Sanskrit rayi property Date: 14th century 1. of or relating to fixed, permanent, or immovable things (as lands or tenements) 2. a. not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory ; genuine <real gold>; also being precisely what the name implies <a real professional> b. (1) occurring or existing in actuality <saw a real live celebrity> <a story of real life> (2) of or relating to practical or everyday concerns or activities <left school to live in the real world> (3) existing as a physical entity and having properties that deviate from an ideal, law, or standard <a real gas> — compare ideal 3b c. having objective independent existence <unable to believe that what he saw was real> d. fundamental, essential e. (1) belonging to or having elements or components that belong to the set of real numbers <the real roots of an equation> <a real matrix> (2) concerned with or containing real numbers <real analysis> (3) real-valued <real variable> f. measured by purchasing power <real income> <real dollars> g. complete, utter <a real fiasco> 3. of a particle capable of being detected — compare virtual 3 • realness noun II. noun Date: circa 1626 a real thing; especially a mathematically real quantity III. adverb Date: 1718 very <he was real cool — H. M. McLuhan> Usage: Most handbooks consider the adverb real to be informal and more suitable to speech than writing. Our evidence shows these observations to be true in the main, but real is becoming more common in writing of an informal, conversational style. It is used as an intensifier only and is not interchangeable with really except in that use. IV. noun (plural reals or reales) Etymology: Spanish, from real royal, from Latin regalis — more at royal Date: 1555 a former monetary unit and coin of Spain and its possessions V. noun (plural reals or reis) Etymology: Portuguese, from real royal, from Latin regalis Date: 1951 1. a former monetary unit and coin of Portugal 2. — see money table

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj. & adv. --adj. 1 actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact. 2 genuine; rightly so called; not artificial or merely apparent. 3 Law consisting of or relating to immovable property such as land or houses (real estate) (cf. personal property). 4 appraised by purchasing power; adjusted for changes in the value of money (real value; income in real terms). 5 Philos. having an absolute and necessary and not merely contingent existence. 6 Math. (of a quantity) having no imaginary part (see IMAGINARY 2). 7 Optics (of an image etc.) such that light actually passes through it. --adv. Sc. & US colloq. really, very. Phrases and idioms: for real colloq. as a serious or actual concern; in earnest. real ale beer regarded as brewed in a traditional way, with secondary fermentation in the cask. real life that lived by actual people, as distinct from fiction, drama, etc. real live (attrib.) often joc. actual; not pretended or simulated (a real live burglar). the real McCoy see MCCOY. real money current coin or notes; cash. real tennis the original form of tennis played on an indoor court. the real thing (of an object or emotion) genuine, not inferior. real time the actual time during which a process or event occurs. real-time (attrib.) Computing (of a system) in which the response time is of the order of milliseconds, e.g. in an airline booking system. Derivatives: realness n. Etymology: AF = OF reel, LL realis f. L res thing 2. n. hist. a former coin and monetary unit of various Spanish-speaking countries. Etymology: Sp., noun use of real (adj.) (as ROYAL)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Real Re"al, n. [Sp., fr. real royal, L. regalis. See Regal, and cf. Ree a coin.] A small Spanish silver coin; also, a denomination of money of account, formerly the unit of the Spanish monetary system. Note: A real of plate (coin) varied in value according to the time of its coinage, from 121/2 down to 10 cents, or from 61/2 to 5 pence sterling. The real vellon, or money of account, was nearly equal to five cents, or 21/2 pence sterling. In 1871 the coinage of Spain was assimilated to that of the Latin Union, of which the franc is the unit.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Real Re"al, n. A realist. [Obs.] --Burton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Real Re*al", a. Royal; regal; kingly. [Obs.] ``The blood real of Thebes.'' --Chaucer.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Real Re"al, a. [LL. realis, fr. L. res, rei, a thing: cf. F. r['e]el. Cf. Rebus.] 1. Actually being or existing; not fictitious or imaginary; as, a description of real life. Whereat I waked, and found Before mine eyes all real, as the dream Had lively shadowed. --Milton. 2. True; genuine; not artificial; counterfeit, or factitious; often opposed to ostensible; as, the real reason; real Madeira wine; real ginger.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. Something that is real actually exists and is not imagined, invented, or theoretical. No, it wasn't a dream. It was real... Legends grew up around a great many figures, both real and fictitious. ? imaginary ADJ 2. If something is real to someone, they experience it as though it really exists or happens, even though it does not. Whitechild's life becomes increasingly real to the reader. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ to n 3. A material or object that is real is natural or functioning, and not artificial or an imitation. ...the smell of real leather... Who's to know if they're real guns or not?... = genuine ADJ: usu ADJ n 4. You can use real to describe someone or something that has all the characteristics or qualities that such a person or thing typically has. ...his first real girlfriend... The only real job I'd ever had was as manager of the local cafe. = proper ADJ: ADJ n 5. You can use real to describe something that is the true or original thing of its kind, in contrast to one that someone wants you to believe is true. This was the real reason for her call... Her real name had been Miriam Pinckus. = true ADJ: ADJ n 6. You can use real to describe something that is the most important or typical part of a thing. When he talks, he only gives glimpses of his real self... The smart executive has people he can trust doing all the real work. ADJ: ADJ n 7. You can use real when you are talking about a situation or feeling to emphasize that it exists and is important or serious. Global warming is a real problem... The prospect of civil war is very real... There was never any real danger of the children being affected... ADJ: usu ADJ n [emphasis] 8. You can use real to emphasize a quality that is genuine and sincere. Germany has shown real determination to come to terms with the anti-Semitism of its past. ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis] 9. You can use real before nouns to emphasize your description of something or someone. (mainly SPOKEN) 'It's a fabulous deal, a real bargain.' ADJ: ADJ n [emphasis] 10. The real cost or value of something is its cost or value after other amounts have been added or subtracted and when factors such as the level of inflation have been considered. ...the real cost of borrowing. = actual, net ADJ: ADJ n • You can also talk about the cost or value of something in real terms. In real terms the cost of driving is cheaper than a decade ago... PHRASE: PHR with cl 11. You can use real to emphasize an adjective or adverb. (AM INFORMAL) He is finding prison life 'real tough'... = really ADV: ADV adj/adv [emphasis] 12. If you say that someone does something for real, you mean that they actually do it and do not just pretend to do it. The sex scenes were just good acting. We didn't do it for real. PHRASE: usu PHR after v 13. If you think that someone or something is very surprising, you can ask if they are for real. (AM INFORMAL) Is this guy for real? PHRASE: v-link PHR 14. If you say that a thing or event is the real thing, you mean that it is the thing or event itself, rather than an imitation or copy. The counterfeits sell for about $20 less than the real thing... PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Actual, veritable, substantial, substantive, absolute, positive, certain, actually being or existing. 2. True, genuine, authentic. 3. Intrinsic, internal, essential.

Moby Thesaurus

Gaussian integer, absolute, actual, admitting no question, algebraic number, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, almighty, appreciable, ascertained, attested, authentic, authenticated, awfully, bona fide, candid, card-carrying, cardinal, cardinal number, categorically true, certain, certified, complex number, concrete, confirmable, confirmed, corporeal, corroborated, de facto, decimal, defective number, demonstrable, demonstratable, demonstrated, determined, differential, digital, dinkum, documentary, earnest, effectual, essential, established, even, even number, exceedingly, existent, exponential, factual, feodal, feudal, feudatory, figural, figurate, figurative, finite, finite number, following the letter, for real, fraction, fractional, genuine, good, heartfelt, historical, honest, honest-to-God, imaginary, imaginary number, impair, impossible, inappealable, inartificial, incontestable, incontrovertible, indisputable, indubitable, infinite, infinity, integer, integral, intrinsic, irrational, irrational number, irrefragable, irrefutable, just, lawful, legal, legitimate, licit, lifelike, literal, logarithmic, logometric, loyal, manorial, material, mightily, mighty, mixed number, natural, naturalistic, negative, not in error, numeral, numerary, numerative, numeric, objectively true, odd, official, only too, ordinal, original, pair, palpable, physical, polygonal number, ponderable, positive, possible, powerful, powerfully, praedial, pretty, prime, prime number, proper, provable, proved, pure, pure imaginary, quite, radical, rational, rational number, real number, realistic, really, reciprocal, rectangular number, right, rightful, round number, seigneurial, seignioral, self-evident, sensible, serial number, simon-pure, simple, sincere, so, solid, sterling, submultiple, substantial, substantiated, substantive, surd, sure-enough, tangible, terribly, terrifically, testable, transcendental, transcendental number, transfinite number, true, true as gospel, true to life, true to nature, true to reality, trusted, trustworthy, truthful, unadulterated, unaffected, unanswerable, unassumed, unassuming, uncolored, unconcocted, unconfutable, unconfuted, uncopied, uncounterfeited, undeniable, undenied, undisguised, undisguising, undistorted, undoubted, unerroneous, unexaggerated, unfabricated, unfallacious, unfalse, unfanciful, unfeigned, unfeigning, unfictitious, unflattering, unimagined, unimitated, unimpeachable, uninvented, unlikely, unmistaken, unpretended, unpretending, unqualified, unquestionable, unrefutable, unrefuted, unromantic, unsimulated, unspecious, unsynthetic, unvarnished, valid, validated, veracious, verbal, verbatim, veridical, verifiable, verified, verisimilar, veritable, very, whole number, word-for-word