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

However, their real-world deployment remains constrained by slow oxygen electrochemistry at the air electrode, which leads to high overpotentials, limited power density, and rapid performance degradation. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 Feb. 2026

Experts question whether patients with insurance will actually save money compared to existing coverage, raising doubts about the program’s real-world impact. —Ali Swenson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026

Although riding style, terrain, and speed will all have a significant impact on real-world range. —New Atlas, 4 Feb. 2026

His program emphasizes real-world skills like customer discovery, decision-making, and financial literacy. —Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026

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