real

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:

real

Wikipedia

Etymology 1

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.

Pronunciation

• enPR: rēəl, riəl, rēl, IPA^(key): /ˈɹiːəl/, /ɹɪə̯l/, /ɹiːl/, /ˈɹi.jəl/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

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

Adjective

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

1. True, genuine, not merely nominal or apparent.
   • 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.

2. Genuine, not artificial, counterfeit, or fake.
   • 2013 June 1, “A better waterworks”, in The Economist‎, 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.

   This is real leather.

3. Genuine, unfeigned, sincere.
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →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.

   These are real tears!

4. 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], , →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.

5. That has objective, physical existence.

   No one has ever seen a real unicorn.

6. (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?

7. (economics) Relating to the result of the actions of rational agents; relating to neoclassical economic models as opposed to Keynesian models.
8. (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.
9. (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.

10. Absolute, complete, utter.

    This is a real problem.

11. (slang) Signifying meritorious qualities or actions especially as regard the enjoyment of life, prowess at sports, or success wooing potential partners.

    I'm keeping it real.

12. (informal) Firm.

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

Synonyms

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

Antonyms

• (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

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

real (not comparable)

1. (US, colloquial) Really; very.

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

Translations

Noun

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) 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: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:

     Scotists, Thomists, Reals, Nominals

Translations

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

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

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

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

Noun

real (plural reals or reales)

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

Translations

Etymology 3

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

Pronunciation

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

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

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

Noun

real (plural reis or réis or reals)

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.

Noun

real (plural reais or reals)

1. A unit of currency used in Brazil since 1994. Symbol: R$.

   

   

   • 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.

2. A coin worth one real.

Synonyms

• (old Portuguese and Brazilian unit of currency): rei

Meronyms

• (current Brazilian unit of currency): centavo

Related terms

• regal
• royal
• milreis

Translations

Anagrams

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

Asturian

Adjective

real (epicene, plural reales)

1. real
2. royal

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis, from Latin rēs.

Adjective

real m or f (masculine and feminine plural reals)

1. real

Derived terms

• nombre real
• realment

Related terms

• realitat

Etymology 2

Noun

real m (plural reals)

1. real (currency of Brazil)

Further reading

• “real” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “real”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “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.

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

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

Adjective

real

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

Synonyms

• aqiqiy, kerçek

References

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

Estonian

Noun

real

1. adessive singular of rida

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /reˈal/

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

real m or f (plural reais)

1. royal

   Synonym: rexio

Related terms

• realeza
• rei

Noun

real m (plural reais)

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

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

real m or f (plural reais)

1. real (actually being, existing)

Derived terms

• número real

Related terms

• realidade
• realismo
• realista

Further reading

• “real” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin reālis. Doublet of reell.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁeˈal/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

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) real (not nominal), measured in purchasing power

   reales Einkommen ― real income

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

• Realität, realisieren

Descendants

• → Polish: realny

See also

• sachlich, tatsächlich, wirklich

Further reading

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

Indonesian

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Hyphenation: rè‧al

Adjective

real

1. real.

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

Related terms

Further reading

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

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French reel, from Late Latin reālis.

Alternative forms

• riall, realle, reale, ryall, reall

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛːal/, /ˈriːal/

Adjective

real

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

Descendants

• English: real
• Scots: real

References

• “rēal, adj.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-09.

Etymology 2

Adjective

real

1. Alternative form of ryal

Noun

real

1. Alternative form of ryal

Adverb

real

1. Alternative form of ryal

Middle French

Adjective

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

1. Alternative form of royal

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:

real

Wikipedia ^nb

Etymology 1

From Late Latin realis.

Adjective

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

1. actual, real

Derived terms

• realfag

Etymology 2

From Portuguese real, from Latin regalis.

Noun

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

1. the real, monetary unit of Brazil

References

• Template:R:NB
• “real” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

real

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²reː.ɑl/

Adjective

real (neuter realt, definite singular and plural reale)

1. actual, real
2. candid

Derived terms

• realfag

Etymology 2

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

Brasiliansk real

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

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

Noun

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."

Etymology 3

Noun

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

References

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

Anagrams

• erla, lera, lêra, rale, rela

Old French

Adjective

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

Declension

Descendants

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

real

Wikipedia ^pl

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛ.al/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛal
• Syllabification: re‧al

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish real, from Latin rēgālis.

Noun

real m inan

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

Declension

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Portuguese real, from Latin rēgālis.

Noun

real m inan

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

Declension

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English (in) real (life).

Noun

real m inan

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

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

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

Portuguese

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

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

Derived terms

• realmente

Related terms

Noun

real m (plural reais)

1. a real number

Noun

real f (plural reais)

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

   Synonyms: verdade, realidade

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

real m or f (plural reais)

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

Related terms

• realengo, realeza, rei, reino

Noun

real m (plural reais)

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

Noun

real m (plural reais or réis)

1. a former currency of Portugal and its colonies (the plural later became réis)

Further reading

• “real” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

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

1. real

   Antonym: nereal

Declension

Related terms

• realitate

See also

• adevărat

Further reading

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

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /reˈal/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: re‧al

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

real m or f (masculine and feminine plural reales)

1. real

   Synonyms: verdadero, existente

   Antonym: irreal

Derived terms

Etymology 2

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

Adjective

real m or f (masculine and feminine plural reales)

1. royal, regal

   Synonym: regio

   Antonym: plebeyo

Noun

real m (plural reales)

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

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

• → Arabic: ريال (riyāl)
  • Gulf Arabic: ريال (ryāl)
  • → Malagasy: ariary
    • → English: ariary
• → Irish: réal
• → Italian: reale
  • →? Friulian: reâl

Further reading

• “real”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Adjective

real (not comparable)

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

Declension

Synonyms

• saklig

Noun

real c

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

Declension

References

• real in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

Anagrams

• lera

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• reyal

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɾeˈal/,
• Hyphenation: re‧al

Etymology 1

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

Adjective

reál (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜌᜎ᜔)

1. true; real; genuine

   Synonyms: tunay, totoo

2. main (of a street)

Related terms

Etymology 2

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

Noun

reál (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜌᜎ᜔)

1. real (unit of currency)

Adjective

reál (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜌᜎ᜔)

1. royal (used in certain expressions)

Related terms

Further reading

• “real”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• “real”, in Pinoy Dictionary, 2010–2024