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

Indensity adapts to real-world places—rising vertically next to communities, businesses, and high-value assets—without the sprawling land requirements of traditional grid-scale storage. —CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026

According to Anthony Lyall, director of startup investment at Digital Catapult, which helps businesses and startups turn advanced digital technologies into real-world innovation and growth, the latter is crucial to early-stage investment readiness. —Alison Coleman, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Solid-state cooling has long been viewed as a greener option, but its real-world use has been limited. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026

Check the user reviews to see how long your prospective camera lasts in real-world conditions. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 21 Jan. 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