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

When there is a disconnect between people’s real-world experiences and the excitement felt on trading floors or in boardrooms, trouble can loom. —Oscar Täckström, Fortune, 3 Jan. 2026

Beyond lab demos UBTech’s Walker S2 represents a new generation of industrial humanoid robots designed to operate continuously in real-world environments and perform complex, coordinated tasks. —Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026

Before 2025, Kalshi offered consumers the chance to place money on the outcomes of elections and other real-world events. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Jan. 2026

In the article, Dean walks readers through the engineering trade-offs, design decisions, and real-world tests that shaped the system from concept to deployment. —Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Dec. 2025

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