: not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory : genuine
real gold
also: being precisely what the name implies
a real professional
c(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)
: behaving or presented in a way that feels true, honest, or familiar and without pretension or affectation
… That was the tragedy of Nurse Jackie … Great nurse. Flawed human being, and an irreparable one. That's also what made her real, and relatable, and what Falco brought so fully to the role … Verne Gay
On the afternoon of May 28, resident Rick Grant told The Enterprise as he waited with other grievers in the town hall's town-board room for his turn before a board, "We all want the same thing: Be real on the taxes, do a proper assessment, a fair assessment."The Altamont Enterprise
For every follower of the PEANUTS comics knows about the Little Red-Haired Girl, the character who intrigues a shy Charlie Brown. Hem he does, and haw he will, and every reader fidgets, too, knowing that such moments are utterly human and all too real. Alysia Gray-Painter
We're living through strange times in America, but that hasn't stopped Chrissy Teigen from being her wonderfully authentic self on social media—from showing up to husband John Legend's Instagram Live concert in a towel to sharing some real talk about childbirth. Abby Gardner
Coach Tucker has always just kept it real with me from the start. … He's been one of the most honest coaches. He's not about the B.S., hype and all that. Kameron Allen
"The thing that makes college basketball so fascinating to me is that almost everyone's a hair away from the dream …. And, let's keep it real, a lot of them are in school just for the experience needed to get to the next level." LL Cool J
Do you actually think you left popularity contests behind in high school? Please, get real. Jillian Mackenzie
(4)
: existing as a physical entity and having properties that deviate from an ideal, law, or standard
It was a good furnace all last winter, they didn't have a single problem with it: it ran real quiet … Garrison Keillor… the magazine isn't real sure who its readers are … Tom Carson
Adjective The movie is based on real events. The detective Sherlock Holmes is not a real person. He has no real power; he is just a figurehead. The battle scenes in the movie seemed very real to me. The team has a real chance at winning. There is a very real possibility that we will be moving to Maine. In real life, relationships are not perfect. The actor looks taller on TV than he does in real life. He's always daydreaming and seems to be out of touch with the real world. What is his real name? Adverb We had a real good time. The water is real warm. We went to bed real late. See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
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
Noun (2)
Portuguese, from real royal, from Latin regalis
Noun (3)
Spanish, from real royal, from Latin regalis — more at royal