reality

B1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ɹiˈæləti/ UK /ɹiːˈælɪti/ See IPA manual

Freq #1829

Meanings

1

noun
The way things really are, as opposed to how they are imagined or hoped to be.

The reality of the situation slowly dawned on them.
2

noun
The real world and everything that actually exists in it.

He needs to come back to reality and accept the facts.
3

noun
A fact or thing that is real and true.

The ultimate reality of life is that it ends in death.
4

noun
A type of television showing real people in unscripted situations.

She got famous through a reality TV show.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the way things really are,... realness

More actuality truth

Opposites

fantasy

Word family

Forms realities

Derived forms antirealitycelebrealitycyberrealitydisrealitydramalityhyperrealityirrealitymacrorealityneorealitynonrealitypseudorealityreality-based

Related forms realiarealism realization realizerealty

Appears in

Phrases (3)

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Proverbs (2)

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Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís Proto-Italic *reis Latin rēs Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin reālis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Medieval Latin reālitāslbor. French réalitéder. English reality From French réalité (“quality of being real”), from Middle French realité (“property, possession”), from Medieval Latin reālitās, from Late Latin reālis (“real”), equivalent to real + -ity. Recorded since 1550 as a legal term in the sense…

réalité French realité Middle French reālitās la-med reālis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# reality

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɹiˈæləti/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹiːˈælɪti/
**Frequency rank:** 1829

## Meanings
1. The way things really are, as opposed to how they are imagined or hoped to be.
2. The real world and everything that actually exists in it.
3. A fact or thing that is real and true.
4. A type of television showing real people in unscripted situations.

## Examples
- The reality of the situation slowly dawned on them.
- He needs to come back to reality and accept the facts.
- The ultimate reality of life is that it ends in death.
- She got famous through a reality TV show.

## Synonyms
- actuality
- truth

## Antonyms
- fantasy

## Derived Forms
- antireality
- celebreality
- cyberreality
- disreality
- dramality
- hyperreality
- irreality
- macroreality
- neoreality
- nonreality
- pseudoreality
- reality-based

## Related Forms
- realia
- realism
- realization
- realize
- realty

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: réalité
- Root: realité
- Root: reālitās
- Root: reālis
- Affix: -ity - state

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís Proto-Italic *reis Latin rēs Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin reālis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Medieval Latin reālitāslbor. French réalitéder. English reality From French réalité (“quality of being real”), from Middle French realité (“property, possession”), from Medieval Latin reālitās, from Late Latin reālis (“real”), equivalent to real + -ity. Recorded since 1550 as a legal term in the sense…

## AI Etymology
Reality comes from French réalité (“quality of being real”), from Middle French realité (“property, possession”), from Medieval Latin reālitās, from Late Latin reālis (“real”), equivalent to real + -ity. The historical chain runs from Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁-der., Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh₁ís, Proto-Italic *reis, Latin rēs, Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.?, Proto-Italic *-ālis, Latin -ālis, Latin reālis, Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂, Proto-Indo-European *-ts, Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts, Proto-Italic *-tāts, Latin -tās, Medieval Latin reālitāslbor., French réalitéder., English reality. Modern senses include the way things really are, as opposed to how they are imagined or hoped to be. and the real world and everything that actually exists in it.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as antireality, celebreality, cyberreality, disreality, dramality, and hyperreality and related forms such as realia, realism, realization, and realize.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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