actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 
-sh(ə-w)əl;
-chü-əl,
-shü-
1
a
: existing in fact or reality
actual events
actual and imagined conditions
b
: not false or apparent
actual costs
c
—used for emphasis
This is the actual room in which my grandfather was born.
2
: existing or occurring at the time
caught in the actual commission of a crime
3
obsolete
: active
Synonyms
Examples of actual in a Sentence
They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.
You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.
The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.
Recent Examples on the Web
The advertised battery life was always shorter than the actual burn time.
—
Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
One of the great pleasures of reading novels is the way their residue stays on my mind’s skin like actual memories.
—Erik Pedersen, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
But ProPublica found that the actual actions taken so far do not match the regulators’ rhetoric.
—Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
Erin showed up to this, was game, and seemed to have an actual good time.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for actual 
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Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024
One of the great pleasures of reading novels is the way their residue stays on my mind’s skin like actual memories.
—Erik Pedersen, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024
But ProPublica found that the actual actions taken so far do not match the regulators’ rhetoric.
—Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024
Erin showed up to this, was game, and seemed to have an actual good time.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for actual
Dictionary Entries Near actual
Cite this Entry
“Actual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/actual. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl
ˈak-sh(ə-w)əl
: existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
actuality
noun
ˌak-chə-ˈwal-ət-ē
-shə-
actualization
noun
ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lə-ˈzā-shən
-sh(ə-w)ə-
actualize
verb
-ˌīz
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