Actuality

/æktʃuˈælɪti/

nounIntermediate📊CommonState of Being
1 meaning2 questions

Definitions

1

The state or fact of being real; existence.

/æktʃuˈælɪti/

nounneutralIntermediate
State of Being

The state of being actual or real.

The actuality of the situation hit him hard.

💡 Simply: The real thing; what really happened.

More Examples

2

Her paintings captured the actuality of rural life.

How It's Used

Philosophy

"He questioned the actuality of the experience."

Literature

"The novel explored the tension between fantasy and actuality."

From Middle French actualité, from Latin actualis, from actus ('action, deed')

The word's usage has remained relatively consistent throughout its history, primarily focusing on the state of being real.

Memory tip

Think 'actual' + 'ity' (state of being).

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"act, deed"

Base: actual
the actuality of the situationin actuality

Common misspellings

actualtyactuallity

Usage

20%Spoken
80%Written