actual

adjective

ac·​tu·​al ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 

-sh(ə-w)əl;

-chü-əl,

-shü-

1

a

: existing in fact or reality

actual events

actual and imagined conditions

b

: not false or apparent

actual costs

c

—used for emphasis

This is the actual room in which my grandfather was born.

2

: existing or occurring at the time

caught in the actual commission of a crime

3

obsolete : active

Synonyms

• real
• factual
• true

Examples of actual in a Sentence

They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.

You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.

The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.

Recent Examples on the Web

The debate arose over whether there is a substantive, or actual action, required to enact the goals of the NDC. —Jon McGowan, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

But the House budget would also include actual reductions in the size of the state workforce, not just bringing funding into closer alignment with the actual number of state employees who have been hired and are working. —Paul Egan, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2025

The immediate re-centering of Jewish harm, victimhood, and safety swiftly erased the actual harm and violence perpetrated against my own Palestinian community, including the October 2023 stabbing to death of Wadea Al Fayoume, a 6-year-old boy, a few miles from my home in Illinois. —Sahar Mustafah august 27, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025

So, is there a world where this film, one so long hoped-for and chatted-about, didn’t get an actual release? —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "active, existing in fact," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French actuel, borrowed from Late Latin āctuālis, from Latin āctus act entry 1 + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing actual

• actual cash value
• in actual fact

Kids Definition

actual

adjective

ac·​tu·​al ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 

ˈak-sh(ə-w)əl

: existing in fact and not merely as a possibility

actuality

ˌak-chə-ˈwal-ət-ē

-shə-

noun

actualization

ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lə-ˈzā-shən

-sh(ə-w)ə-

noun

actualize

-ˌīz

verb

Legal Definition

actual

adjective

ac·​tu·​al

: existing in fact or reality compare constructive

actually adverb