real-world

adjective

ˈrē(-ə)l-ˈwər(-ə)ld 

: existing or occurring in reality : drawn from or drawing on actual events or situations : real-life

a real-world example

… the complex relationship between a word and the real-world thing it labels.

—Jean Aitchison

Digital objects aren't bound by the same constraints as real-world objects—that is, broadly speaking, the whole point of digital objects—but they're often made to look like real-world objects anyway.

—Lev Grossman

… combine the rigors of academics with the soothing realities of real-world applications.

—Ricardo Bilton

The paintings are essentially abstract, but they don't feel abstract. They feature, besides passages of figurative drawing, a real-world aura …

—Peter Schjeldahl

Examples of real-world in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Students learn the cultural, historical, and even religious significance of food — lessons meant to prepare them for real-world kitchens in restaurants, hotels, and catering businesses. —Brian Unger, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

Design and engineering consistency is one way, but there are few better ways to test how a vehicle fares in real-world scenarios than getting behind the wheel and pitting it against horrible conditions. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 5 Dec. 2025

Tokenization refers to the process of creating a digital version of a real-world asset – for example, a stock, bond or real-estate deed – on a blockchain, or decentralized network. —Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 5 Dec. 2025

Experts not involved in the study note that while the results provide valuable clues, additional research is needed to determine whether these laboratory findings reflect real-world risks to human health. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for real-world

• lifeworld
• unfurled
• curled
• furled
• hurled
• knurled
• swirled
• twirled
• whirled
• whorled
• world
• netherworld