| / English Dictionary |
REALITY
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The quality possessed by something that is real
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("reality" is a kind of...):
corporality; corporeality; materiality; physicalness (the quality of being physical; consisting of matter)
Antonym:
unreality (the quality possessed by something that is unreal)
Derivation:
real (having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary)
Sense 2
Meaning:
All of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
Example:
for them demons were as much a part of reality as trees were
Synonyms:
reality; world
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("reality" is a kind of...):
experience (the content of direct observation or participation in an event)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reality"):
real life; real world (the practical world as opposed to the academic world)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The state of being actual or real
Example:
the reality of his situation slowly dawned on him
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("reality" is a kind of...):
actuality (the state of actually existing objectively)
Attribute:
existent; real (being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory)
unreal (lacking in reality or substance or genuineness; not corresponding to acknowledged facts or criteria)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reality"):
fact (an event known to have happened or something known to have existed)
Antonym:
unreality (the state of being insubstantial or imaginary; not existing objectively or in fact)
Derivation:
real (being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory)
real (coinciding with reality)
real (not to be taken lightly)
real (being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something)
Sense 4
Meaning:
The state of the world as it really is rather than as you might want it to be
Example:
businessmen have to face harsh realities
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("reality" is a kind of...):
actuality (the state of actually existing objectively)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "reality"):
historicalness (the state of having in fact existed in the past)
Derivation:
real (capable of being treated as fact)
real (being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory)
real (not to be taken lightly)
real (being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something)
Context examples:
We don’t like them, but they do help us see reality and almost force us to do something—to either improve or leave the situation.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
It was the doubt as to the reality of the whole thing that knocked me over.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
It was very essential that I should impress Mrs. Hudson with the reality of my condition, since she was to convey it to you, and you in turn to him.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
What looks like a red butterfly in space is in reality a nursery for hundreds of baby stars, revealed in this infrared image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
('Space Butterfly' Is Home to Hundreds of Baby Stars, NASA)
This, at least, was real, he thought, and turned on the other side so that he might see the reality of the world which had been veiled from him before by the vision.
(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)
And it seemed to me that my innocence of the realities of life had been complete indeed.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
The XS-1 is still years away from reality, with DARPA saying testing the plane’s engines on the ground slated for 2019.
(Hypersonic Space Plane May Soon Be a Reality, VOA)
Although it might sound revolutionary, there is still a lot to do before this becomes reality.
(Will We Soon Drive on ‘Grassoline’?, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
"The reality is that we've been operating with a skewed view of ocean phosphate," Lomas said.
(Study reveals new patterns of key ocean nutrient, National Science Foundation)
Old memories were coming upon him fast, and he was stirring to them as of old he stirred to the realities of which they were the shadows.
(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)
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