What does “real” mean?
- 1
adjectiveactually existing, not imagined
The story is based on real events.
- 2
adjectivegenuine, not false or copied
Is that a real diamond?
- 3
adjectiveused to emphasize how serious or big something is
Traffic is a real problem here.
Real at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- A1 (beginner)
- Pronunciation
- /ril/ · REEL
How to use “real” correctly
In informal US English “real” is sometimes used for “really” (“real good”), but use “really” in writing.
Common phrases with “real”
- real life
- real estate
- the real world
- for real
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- genuine
- actual
- true
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- fake
- imaginary
“real” is on these word lists
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