realadjective
uk/rɪəl/us/ˈriː.əl/real adjective (NOT IMAGINARY)
A2 existing in fact and not imaginary:
the value of earnings, etc. after the effect of rising prices is considered:
after considering things that affect what a number or amount really means, such as the effect of rising prices:
things as they really are, not as they exist in the imagination, in a story, on the internet, etc.:
More examples
- She has a real feel for language.
- Was King Arthur a real or a legendary character?
- Politicians these days are more interested in playing to the gallery than exercising real influence on world events.
- Most modern kings and queens rule their countries only in a formal way, without real power.
- The main political parties are merely shadow-boxing, instead of tackling the real economic problems facing this country.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
True, real, false, and unreal
- actual
- actuality
- actually
- all that glitters is not gold idiom
- apocryphal
- fairy tale
- faithful
- false
- falsely
- fictional
- gritty
- nominal
- practically
- pretend
- proper
- properly
- properly speaking idiom
- pukka
- verily
- well founded
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real adjective (NOT FALSE)
A2 [ before noun ] being what it appears to be and not false:
[ before noun ] UK approving (especially of foods) produced using traditional methods and without artificial substances:
real, not pretended:
More examples
- You can always tell a real bow tie from one that clips on.
- "Is that real fur on your collar?" "Certainly not - I only wear fake fur."
- Those flowers aren't real - they're made of plastic.
- George Orwell was a pseudonym - his real name was Eric Blair.
- It turned out that he wasn't a real doctor at all - he was just a sham.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
True, real, false, and unreal
- actual
- actuality
- actually
- all that glitters is not gold idiom
- apocryphal
- fairy tale
- faithful
- false
- falsely
- fictional
- gritty
- nominal
- practically
- pretend
- proper
- properly
- properly speaking idiom
- pukka
- verily
- well founded
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
real adjective (IMPORTANT)
B2 [ before noun ] the most important; the main:
More examples
- Knowledge of languages is a real asset in this sort of work.
- My one real vice is chocolate.
- Creativity, ingenuity and flair are the songwriter's real talents.
- The real disease affecting the country is inflation.
- The proposal was dismissed as a diversionary tactic intended to distract attention from the real problems.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Intelligence
- acuity
- acumen
- agile
- apt
- artful
- as (if) to the manner born idiom
- brilliance
- gumption
- highbrow
- horse sense
- imaginative
- ingenious
- presence of mind
- quick-witted
- razor-sharp
- ready
- resource
- resourceful
- scholarly
- sharply
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real adjective (VERY GREAT)
B2 [ before noun ] used to emphasize a noun:
More examples
- I get a real kick out of owning my own car.
- She picked up some real bargains in the sale.
- You were right about Pete - he's a real troublemaker.
- You gave us a real scare when you fainted, you know.
- It was a real culture shock to find herself in London after living on a small island.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Big and quite big
- appreciable
- baronial
- burly
- capacious
- commodious
- fair
- grand
- heavy
- juicy
- L, l
- large-scale
- largish
- macro
- mass
- spacious
- supersize
- swamp
- sweeping
- the bigger the better idiom
- walk-in
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Idiom(s)
realadverb
uk/rɪəl/us/ˈriː.əl/mainly US informalvery:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Linguistics: very & extreme
- abject
- awful
- badly
- beyond
- classic
- classical
- devastating
- drop dead! idiom
- eminently
- esp
- especially
- heartily
- impossibly
- rather
- sheer
- specially
- supremely
- thoroughly
- whole
- wide
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