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

Examples of real-life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In April, Walter, who starred as Chessy in the 1998 film The Parent Trap, shared that her real-life twins were born on the same day as Lindsay Lohan's twin characters from the movie. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 The director closed his speech by referencing the real-life woman who inspired her character. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 People on dating apps have suffered real-life harm and violence after meeting up with potential dates. Lauren Goode, WIRED, 11 Mar. 2024 Artists like Sam Barber, Mae Estes, Dylan Gossett and Wyatt Flores are creating music that is emotional and emotive, and speaks to real-life experiences that fans want to hear and devour right now. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 His mother, Roya, was a passenger on an Iranian plane that the United States Navy mistakenly shot out of the sky—an event based on the real-life destruction of Iran Air Flight 655 by the U.S.S. Vincennes, in 1988, near the end of the Iran-Iraq War. Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 Culver had a breakthrough with a starring turn alongside Jacobi and Anthony Bate in the 1977 ITV telefilm Philby, Burgess and Maclean, about three real-life MI5 agents who were working as Russian spies. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Inspired by real-life experiences, the film follows a group of teenage misfits who venture into a haunted forest, confronting their deepest fears and uncovering hidden truths about themselves along the way. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 The fact that Slaughter has been able to convince so many people for so long of his real-life military pursuits—including legendary manager and historian Jim Cornette—speaks to his ability as a performer. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'real-life.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of real-life was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near real-life

Cite this Entry

“Real-life.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/real-life. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

real-life

adjective
: happening in reality : being like real life

More from Merriam-Webster on real-life

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