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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Actual refers to something existing in fact or reality, being real or true, not hypothetical or supposed. It deals with things as they are, rather than as they could be in theory or imagination. It's a state or …