actual

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈækʃuəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #2618

Meanings

1

adj
real and existing in fact, rather than imagined or guessed

The actual cost was much higher than we expected.
2

adj
used to emphasise the exact or specific thing being talked about

I knew the building was old, but I'd never seen the actual house.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · real and existing in fact,... real existent factual

More positive

Word family

Derived forms actualismactualistactualisticactuality actualization actualize actuallyactualnessnonactualunactual

Related forms activity actor actuary certain genuine

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Etymology

From Middle English actual, actuel (“active”), from Anglo-Norman actuel, actual, and its source Late Latin actuālis (“active, practical”), from Latin actus (“act, action, performance”), from agere (“to do; to act”) + -alis (“-al”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti, from the root *h₂eǵ-. By surface analysis, act + -u- + -al.

actual Middle English actuel xno actuālis la-lat actus Latin *h₂éǵeti Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# actual

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈækʃuəl/
**Frequency rank:** 2618

## Meanings
1. real and existing in fact, rather than imagined or guessed
2. used to emphasise the exact or specific thing being talked about

## Examples
- The actual cost was much higher than we expected.
- I knew the building was old, but I'd never seen the actual house.

## Synonyms
- positive

## Derived Forms
- actualism
- actualist
- actualistic
- actuality
- actualization
- actualize
- actually
- actualness
- nonactual
- unactual

## Related Forms
- activity
- actor
- actuary
- certain
- genuine

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: actual
- Root: actuel
- Root: actuālis
- Root: actus
- Root: *h₂éǵeti

## Etymology
From Middle English actual, actuel (“active”), from Anglo-Norman actuel, actual, and its source Late Latin actuālis (“active, practical”), from Latin actus (“act, action, performance”), from agere (“to do; to act”) + -alis (“-al”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti, from the root *h₂eǵ-. By surface analysis, act + -u- + -al.

## AI Etymology
Actual comes from Middle English actual, actuel (“active”), from Anglo-Norman actuel, actual, and its source Late Latin actuālis (“active, practical”), from Latin actus (“act, action, performance”), from agere (“to do; to act”) plus -alis (“-al”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti, from the root *h₂eǵ-. By surface analysis, act plus -u- plus -al. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern adjectival form is built from the named base and affix.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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