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

What are the real-world consequences for the way the Court interprets it? —Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

For many Western viewers, their first exposure to the Ramayana’s influence was the Oscar-winning, crossover Tollywood hit RRR, whose climax transformed real-world freedom fighters Alluri Sitaram Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) into avatars for Ram and Hanuman respectively. —Siddhant Adlakha, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

Taylor Wilson: What real-world consequences could these biases bring for people of color? —Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Bigelow turns Chastain’s obsession into a crackling detective story, complete with enough real-world intelligence-gathering gadgetry to put James Bond to shame. —Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024

As a bonus, Curran said, her students are gaining real-world experience. —The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024

The focus on real-world events and physical products is a throwback marketing approach in the age of streaming music and social media. —Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 3 Apr. 2024

For her part, Dunst isn’t shy about answering questions about real-world politics. —Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024

Flock Safety spokesperson Holly Beilin said that the company refused IPVM access to its software because of its nature as a machine learning technology that is constantly updating itself with data pulled from real-world events on the street. —Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above