Synonyms

real world

American

[ree-uhl, reel] / ˈri əl, ril /

noun

the realm of practical or actual experience, as opposed to the abstract, theoretical, or idealized sphere of the classroom, laboratory, etc..

recent college graduates looking for jobs in the real world of rising unemployment.

Other Word Forms

real-world adjective

Etymology

Origin of real world

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

For Alarnab, spices frying, dough rising and cheese melting inside a kitchen offered an unlikely escape from the real world.

From Barron's

“We live in a world, in the real world,” Miller told CNN in January, “that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power,” he said.

From Salon

OpenAI said it will also establish a direct point of contact with Canadian law enforcement so it can quickly flag any possible future cases with "potential for real world violence".

From BBC

Carried over into the real world, where friction is everywhere, theories often fade or fail in practice.

From The Wall Street Journal

The brand sparked a second global trend with the launch of mobile phone game Pokémon GO, which used a device's GPS and camera to place monsters in the real world, in 2016.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023