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

This is the most important real-world differentiator and the hardest to assess from marketing language. — Allison Palmer july 1, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

The single most important real-world differentiator, and the hardest to assess from marketing language. — Allison Palmer july 1, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Students involved in the program learn geometry concepts through real-world building applications, while also contributing to housing solutions in their community. — Justin Adams, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Ultimately, time and the performance of these systems under real-world pressure will decide which model endures. — Daniel Keller, Forbes.com, 1 July 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