- actually existing or happening and not imagined or pretended
- a real danger/risk/threat/concern
- All the characters are based on real people.
- It wasn't a ghost; it was a real person.
- pictures of animals, both real and mythological
- In the movies guns kill people instantly, but it's not like that in real life.
- Politicians seem to be out of touch with the real world.
- The growth of violent crime is a very real problem.
- There's no real possibility of them changing their minds.
- We have a real chance of success.
- By the end of it I had a real sense of achievement.
Extra Examples- That world no longer seemed real to her.
- The possibility of being arrested was frighteningly real.
- real or imagined threats to national security
- the very real danger of war
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- all too
- very
- frighteningly
- …
- real and/or imaginary
- real and/or imagined
- not false or artificial
- Are those real flowers?
- real leather
- Pinocchio wanted to be a real live boy.
Extra Examples- Real silk is very expensive.
- The pearls looked real enough.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- look
- seem
- …
- all too
- very
- frighteningly
- …
- real and/or imaginary
- real and/or imagined
- [only before noun] actual or true, rather than what appears to be true
- Tell me the real reason.
- The real story is even more amazing.
- Judy Garland's real name was Frances Ethel Gumm.
- The real problem is a lack of investment in infrastructure.
- The real issue was whether the accused knew the goods were stolen.
- The real question here is how he is going to accomplish this.
- See the real Africa on one of our walking safaris.
- I couldn't resist the opportunity to meet a real live celebrity.
- I do my best to hide my real feelings from others.
- The only real complaint I have about the film is that it's a little too slow.
- [only before noun] having all the important qualities that it should have to deserve to be called what it is called
- She never had any real friends at school.
- his first real kiss
- I had no real interest in politics.
- He was making a real effort to be nice to her.
- These measures have made a real difference to people's lives.
- She has not shown any real regret for what she did.
- [only before noun] used to emphasize a state or quality
- He looks a real idiot.
- This accident could have produced a real tragedy.
- Her next play was a real contrast.
- This is a real privilege.
- It's been a real challenge, but we're determined to succeed.
- He made a real cock-up of it.
- [only before noun] when the effect of such things as price rises on the power of money to buy things is included in the sums
- Real wage costs have risen by 10 per cent in the past year.
- The real value of the country's exports has grown little since the 1970s.
- This represents a reduction of 5 per cent in real terms.
existing/not imagined
true/not false
for emphasis
money/income
Word Originlate Middle English (as a legal term meaning ‘relating to things, especially real property’): from Anglo-Norman French, from late Latin realis, from Latin res ‘thing’.
Idioms
See real in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee real in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishfor real
- what somebody claims it is or serious
- This is not a fire drill—it's for real.
- (North American English) He managed to convince voters that he was for real.
- I don’t think her tears were for real.
get real!
- (informal) used to tell somebody that they are behaving in a stupid or unreasonable way
keep it real
- (informal) to act in an honest and natural way
the (real) power behind the throne
- the person who really controls an organization, a country, etc. in contrast to the person who is legally in charge
- His assistant was thought to be the real power behind the throne.
the real McCoy
- (informal) something that is what somebody claims it is and that has value, not a copy
- It's an American flying jacket, the real McCoy.
the real thing
- (informal) actually what somebody claims that something is
- Are you sure it's the real thing (= love), not just infatuation?
Check pronunciation:
real