Phrase guide

real life

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment; often used in comparison to events depicted in drama.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: real world, reality

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: real world, reality

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Life outside of the Internet.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, figuratively, proscribed, sometimes, uncountable

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: real world, reality, real reality (intentional pleonasm under certain circumstances)

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: real world, reality, real reality

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Pressing day-to-day commitments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, countable, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

  • I kept meaning to look for a better-paying job, but real life intervened.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the practical world as opposed to the academic world

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a good consultant must have a lot of experience in the real world

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: real world

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: world, reality

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: حَيَاة وَاقِعِيَّة (ḥayāh wāqiʕiyya) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Arabic: حَيَاة حَقِيقِيَّة (ḥayāh ḥaqīqiyya) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 現實生活 /现实生活 (xiànshí shēnghuó) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 真實生命 /真实生命 (zhēnshí shēngmìng) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 現生 /现生 (xiànshēng) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Dutch: het echte leven — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Finnish: tosielämä — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Finnish: todellisuus — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • French: vie réelle — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • French: vraie vie — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • German: wirkliches Leben — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • German: Reallife — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • German: echtes Leben — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Greek: πραγματικότητα (pragmatikótita) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Hungarian: való élet — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Icelandic: raunveruleiki — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Indonesian: kehidupan nyata — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Italian: vita reale — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Japanese: 実生活 (jisseikatsu) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Japanese: 実際の生活 (jissai no seikatsu) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Japanese: リアル・ライフ (riaru-raifu) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Korean: 실생활 (silsaenghwal) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Korean: 리얼라이프 (rieollaipeu) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Iranian Persian: زِنْدِگیِ واقِعی (zendegi-ye vâġe'i) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Polish: życie — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Polish: prawdziwe życie — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Polish: real — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Portuguese: vida real — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Romanian: viața reală — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Russian: реа́льная жизнь (reálʹnaja žiznʹ) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Russian: реа́л (reál) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Spanish: vida real — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Swedish: verkliga livet — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Thai: ชีวิตจริง — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Turkish: gerçek hayat — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment
  • Ukrainian: реа́льне життя́ (reálʹne žyttjá) — life outside of a contrived or fantastical environment