The meaning of ACTUAL is existing in fact or reality. How to use actual in a sentence.

Actual is an adjective meaning ‘true’, ‘real’ and ‘the thing in itself’. It does not refer to time. Actual always comes immediately before the noun it is describing: …

1. existing in act, fact, or reality; real: an actual case; the actual cost. 2. existing now; present; current: the ship's actual position.

Definition of actual adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

There are 13 meanings listed in OED's entry for the word actual, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.

You use actual to emphasize that you are referring to something real or genuine.

ACTUAL definition: existing in act or fact; real. See examples of actual used in a sentence.

actual is an adjective, actuality is a noun, actually is an adverb, actualize is a verb: The actual facts are these. In actuality, the quarter didn't disappear; it was in the magician's hand.

ACTUAL meaning: 1 : real and not merely possible or imagined existing in fact; 2 : known to be correct or precise not false or apparent

Jan 22, 2026 · actual (countable and uncountable, plural actuals) an actual, real one; notably: (finance) something actually received; real receipts, as distinct from estimated ones.