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.

• enPR: rēəl, rēl, IPA^(key): /ˈɹiːəl/, /ɹiːl/

• UK:

  (file)

• US:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːəl, -iːl
• Homophone: reel (some accents)

real (comparative realer or more real, superlative realest or most real)

2. True, genuine, not merely nominal or apparent.

   City hall has its place, but this pub is the real heart of the town.

   • 2007, Jim Kokoris, The Rich Part of Life: A Novel, →ISBN, page 179:

     [T]he real reason he didn't come was because he was scared of flying[.]

   • 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:

     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.

4. Genuine, not artificial, counterfeit, or fake.

   This is real leather.

   • 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist‎^[1], volume 407, number 8838, page 5 (Technology Quarterly):

     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.

6. Genuine, unfeigned, sincere.

   These are real tears!

   • 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:

     Whose perfection farr excell’d Hers in all real dignitie

   • 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:

     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.

8. Actually being, existing, or occurring; not fictitious or imaginary.

   a description of real life

   • 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:

     I waked, and found / Before mine eyes all real, as the dream / Had lively shadowed.

10. That has objective, physical existence.

    No one has ever seen a real unicorn.

12. (economics) 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?

14. (economics) Relating to the result of the actions of rational agents; relating to neoclassical economic models as opposed to Keynesian models.
16. (mathematics, of 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.
18. (law) Relating to immovable tangible property.

    real estate; real property

    • 1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Cunning”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:

      Many are perfect in men's humours that are not greatly capable of the real part of business.

20. Absolute, complete, utter.

    This is a real problem.

22. (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.

    1. Firm through directness, readiness to confront.

       yo, Imma be real with u... don't ever text me again

• (true, genuine): true, actual
• (genuine, not artificial): authentic, genuine, actual
• (genuine, unfeigned): authentic, genuine, heartfelt, true, actual, based
• (that has physical existence): actual

• (antonym(s) of “true, genuine”): imaginary, nonreal, unreal
• (antonym(s) of “genuine, not artificial”): artificial, counterfeit, fake, sham
• (antonym(s) of “genuine, unfeigned”): feigned, sham, staged
• (antonym(s) of “that has physical existence”): fictitious, imaginary, made-up, pretend (informal)
• (antonym(s) of “relating to numbers with a one-to-one correspondence to the points on a line”): imaginary

real (not comparable)

1. (US, colloquial) Really; very.

   When I told him the truth, he got real mad.

   Se looked at me real strange.

   • 1977, Nixon interviews‎^[2], spoken by Richard Nixon, →OCLC:

     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.'

real (plural reals)

1. A commodity; see realty.
2. (grammar) One of the three genders that the common gender can be separated into in the Scandinavian languages.
3. (mathematics, computing) A real number.
   • 2007, Mark Bridges, REAL ANALYSIS: A Constructive Approach, Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, page 11:

     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."

4. (obsolete) A realist.
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:

     Scotists, Thomists, Reals, Nominals

Borrowed from Spanish real (“royal”), from Latin rēgālis (“regal, royal”). Doublet of ariary, regal, riyal, and royal.

• (UK) enPR: rāäl', IPA^(key): /ɹeɪˈɑːl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɑːl
• (US) enPR: rāäl', IPA^(key): /ɹeɪˈɑl/
  • Rhymes: -ɑl

real (plural reals or reales)

1. Former unit of currency of Spain and Spain's colonies.
3. A coin worth one real.

From Portuguese real (“royal”), from Latin rēgālis (“regal; royal”). Doublet of ariary, regal, riyal, and royal.

• (UK) enPR: rāäl', IPA^(key): /ɹeɪˈɑːl/
• (US) enPR: rāäl', IPA^(key): /ɹeɪˈɑl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːl, -ɑl

real (plural reis or réis or reals)

2. (uncountable) A unit of currency used in Portugal and its colonies from 1430 until 1911, and in Brazil from 1790 until 1942.

   Synonym: rei

3. (countable) A coin worth one real.

real (plural reais or reals)

2. (uncountable) A unit of currency used in Brazil since 1994. Symbol: R$.

   Meronym: centavo

   • 2011, Perry Anderson, “Lula's Brazil”, in London Review of Books, 33.VII:

     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.

3. (countable) A coin worth one real.

• regal
• royal
• milreis

• Arel, Earl, Elar, Lare, Lear, Rael, Raël, earl, lare, lear, rale

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [reˈal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: re‧al

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis, from Latin rēs.

real m or f (masculine and feminine plural reals)

1. real

• nombre real
• realment

• realitat

real m (plural reals)

1. real (currency of Brazil)

• “real”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “real”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “real” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “real” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis (“real, actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”).

real

1. real (true, genuine)
2. real (that has physical existence)

• aqiqiy, kerçek

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[3], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

real

1. adessive singular of rida

• IPA^(key): /reˈal/ [reˈɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: re‧al

From Latin rēgālis (“royal”), from rēx (“king”) + -alis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs (“ruler, king”).

real m or f (plural reais)

1. royal

   Synonym: rexio

• realeza
• rei

real m (plural reais)

1. real (former unit of currency of Spain)
2. real (unit of currency used in Brazil)

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis (“actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”), from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís (“thing; possession”).

real m or f (plural reais)

1. real (actually being, existing)

• número real

• realidade
• realismo
• realista

• “real”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis. Doublet of reell.

• IPA^(key): /ʁeˈal/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

real (strong nominative masculine singular realer, comparative realer, superlative am realsten)

1. real (that has physical existence)

   Synonyms: echt, existent, bestehend, gegenständlich, dinglich

   real existierender Sozialismus ― real socialism

2. real, realistic (pertaining to reality)

   Diese Geschichte ist nicht real. ― This story is not real.

   Sie ist ein kluges Mädchen; sie denkt real. ― She is a smart girl; she thinks realistically.

   reale Pläne ― real plans

3. real-world, practical, particularly (now chiefly archaic) concerned with actual things as opposed to words or ideas

   Realschule ― real school, school

   Realencyclopädie ― encyclopedia

   Realwörterbuch ― encyclopedia, technical dictionary

4. (economics) (not nominal), measured in purchasing power

   reales Einkommen ― real income

• Realität, realisieren

• → Polish: realny

• sachlich, tatsächlich, wirklich

• “real” in Duden online
• “real” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

From 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 riil.

• IPA^(key): [ˈril]
• Hyphenation: rè‧al

real (comparative lebih real, superlative paling real)

1. real

   Synonyms: aktual, berbentuk, berupa, kasatmata, konkret, nyata, riil, sesungguhnya, sungguh

• “real” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Borrowed from Old French reel, from Late Latin reālis.

• riall, realle, reale, ryall, reall

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛːal/, /ˈriːal/

real

1. (Late Middle English) real, true, factual
2. (Late Middle English, law) concerning possessions

• English: real
• Scots: real

• “rēal, adj.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 9 April 2018.

real

1. alternative form of ryal

real

1. alternative form of ryal

real

1. alternative form of ryal

real m (feminine singular reale, masculine plural reals, feminine plural reales)

1. alternative form of royal

From Late Latin realis.

real (masculine and feminine real, neuter realt, definite singular and plural reale)

1. actual, real

• realfag

From Portuguese real, from Latin regalis.

real m (definite singular realen, indefinite plural realer, definite plural realene)

1. the real, monetary unit of Brazil

• “real” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

From Late Latin reālis, from Latin rēs (“thing”).

• IPA^(key): /²reː.ɑl/

real (neuter realt, definite singular and plural reale)

1. actual, real
2. candid

• realfag

From Spanish and Portuguese real, from Latin rēgālis (“royal”). Doublet of rijal.

real m (definite singular realen, indefinite plural realar, definite plural realane)

1. the real, monetary unit of Brazil
2. (historical) a real, one of the former units of currency and coins used in Spain, Portugal and their colonies
   • 1887, Prosper Mérimée, “Røvarliv i Spania [Letters from Spain]”, in Sjur, transl., Ungdom: franske forteljingar [Youth – French tales], translation of Lettres d'Espagne, page 34:

     "Og han fekk dei 1,500 realarne, Jose Maria, elder rettare: han fekk dei att."

     "And he got those 1,500 reales, Jose Maria, or more accurately: he got them back again."

real ?

1. (education, historical, colloquial) short for realskuleklasse
   • 1991, Ola Grøvdal, Engelen og måsen, page 26:

     Han tok til å drikke øl i 6., vin i 7. og vodka i 1. real […]

     He began drinking beer in the sixth, wine in the seventh and vodka in the eighth [grade] […]

• “real” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• “real”, in Norsk Ordbok: ordbok over det norske folkemålet og det nynorske skriftmålet, Oslo: Samlaget, 1950-2016

• erla, lera, lêra, rale, rela

real m (oblique and nominative feminine singular real or reale)

1. royal; alternative form of roial
   • c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     El palés real venu sont

     They came into the royal palace

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛ.al/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛal
• Syllabification: re‧al

Borrowed from Spanish real, from Latin rēgālis.

real m inan

1. (historical) real (former unit of currency of Spain and Spain's colonies)

Borrowed from Portuguese real, from Latin rēgālis.

real m inan

1. (historical) real (former unit of currency of Portugal and Brazil)
2. real (currency of Brazil)

Borrowed from English (in) real (life).

real m inan

1. (Internet, slang) reality, real life, real world (physical reality as opposed to virtual reality)

• real in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• real in Polish dictionaries at PWN

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: re‧al
• Homophones: Real, rial (Portugal), Rial (Portugal)

Learned borrowing from Late Latin reālem (“actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”), from Proto-Indo-European *rēy- (“thing; possession”).

real m or f (plural reais, comparable, comparative mais real, superlative o mais real or realíssimo)

1. true, real
2. that has physical existence; real
3. (mathematics, of a number) being a member of the set of real numbers; real

real m (plural reais)

1. a real number

real f (uncountable)

1. (Brazil, colloquial) truth (conformity to fact or reality)

   Synonyms: verdade, realidade

   Estou falando a real.

   I'm telling [you] the truth.

From Latin rēgālis (“royal”), from rēx (“king”) + -ālis, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs (“ruler, king”).

real m or f (plural reais)

1. (relational) monarchy; royal; regal
2. having the air or demeanour of a monarch; regal

real m (plural reais or réis)

1. a former currency of Portugal and its colonies

real m (plural reais)

1. a former Spanish currency
2. the current Brazilian currency

• “real”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “real”, in Dicio – Dicionário Online de Português (in Portuguese), São Paulo: 7Graus, 2009–2025
• “real”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “real”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “real”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Borrowed from French réel, German real, both from Late Latin reālis (“real, actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”).

• IPA^(key): [reˈal]

• Audio:

  (file)

real m or n (feminine singular reală, masculine plural reali, feminine and neuter plural reale)

1. real

   Antonym: nereal

• realitate

• adevărat

• “real”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025
• Romanian vocabulary. In: Haspelmath, M. & Tadmor, U. (eds.) World Loanword Database. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

• IPA^(key): /reˈal/ [reˈal]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: re‧al

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis (“actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”).

real m or f (masculine and feminine plural reales)

1. real

   Synonyms: verdadero, existente

   Antonym: irreal

real m (plural reales)

1. (colloquial) true friend, best friend

Inherited from Latin rēgālis (“regal, royal”), from rēx. Cognate with English regal and royal.

real m or f (masculine and feminine plural reales)

1. royal, regal

   Synonym: regio

   Antonym: plebeyo

real m (plural reales)

1. real (unit of currency)
2. (Spain, historical, colloquial) a quarter of a peseta

real

1. (colloquial, informal) true

• → Arabic: ريال (riyāl)
  • Gulf Arabic: ريال (ryāl)
  • → Malagasy: ariary
    • → English: ariary
  • → Persian: ریال (riyâl)
  • → Swahili: riali
• → Irish: réal
• → Italian: reale
  • → Ottoman Turkish: ریال, اریال (iriyale)
    • Turkish: riyal

• “real”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

real (not comparable)

1. objective, real, pertaining to real and physical objects

• saklig

real c

1. clipping of realskola
2. clipping of realskoleexamen
3. real (currency of Brazil and formerly Portugal)

• real in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

• lera

• reyal

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ɾeˈal/ [ɾɛˈal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: re‧al

Borrowed from Spanish real, from Late Latin reālis (“actual”), from Latin rēs (“matter, thing”).

reál (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜌᜎ᜔)

1. true; real; genuine

   Synonyms: tunay, totoo

2. main (of a street)

Borrowed from Spanish real, from Latin rēgālis (“regal, royal”), from rēx.

reál (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜌᜎ᜔)

1. real (unit of currency)

reál (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜌᜎ᜔)

1. royal (used in certain expressions)

• “real”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• “real”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2025