as in real
existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
the actual outcome of the election was quite different from what everybody had expected
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of actual
That’s because in baseball chess, as opposed to actual chess, the quality of pieces differs between players.
—
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
John Mara’s father, Wellington, was famous for answering actual mail from Giants fans.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2025
There were actual makeshift dressers and apartments and mattresses and couches and TVs and all that fun stuff.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Worlds will soon collide for fans of tabletop roleplaying games as a major shakeup in the actual play community just hit.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
John Mara’s father, Wellington, was famous for answering actual mail from Giants fans.
—Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 2 Aug. 2025
There were actual makeshift dressers and apartments and mattresses and couches and TVs and all that fun stuff.
—Jc Reindl, Freep.com, 2 Aug. 2025
Worlds will soon collide for fans of tabletop roleplaying games as a major shakeup in the actual play community just hit.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actual
Adjective
-
Why gold demand surged While the dollar or the euro isn’t going away anytime soon, Doshi said the demand for real hard assets that complement fiat currency rose over the last few decades as global debt and governments’ share of that debt has increased.—
Rachel Barber,
USA Today,
2 Aug. 2025
-
What is a real excuse is when Fiona dropped out of my birthday party the day of because her longtime friend was finally getting a kidney transplant and wanted her there.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The factual takeaway is that prior S&P 500 returns have averaged to 8.27%.—
Catherine Brock,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
To Holmes, much of the information being obscured is factual, not political.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
This was certainly true of the Mets last summer when Taylor played his way into the lineup more consistently than Harrison Bader.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
26 July 2025
-
This rings especially true for me, a vegetarian for nearly two decades.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Actual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actual. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share