✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

reality check

noun

: something that clarifies or serves as a reminder of reality often by correcting a misconception

Examples of reality check in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Breaking his leg around then inspired a major reality check. David Oliver, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025 Lighter hair tones are notoriously high-maintenance—and come with the annoying reality check that brassiness is bound to happen. Austen Tosone, Glamour, 17 Nov. 2025 This retrograde brings deep conversations to the surface, but also a few reality checks around communication. Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 11 Nov. 2025 The Nighthawks’ loss to Vista Murrieta is a concern … or maybe a needed reality check. Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reality check

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reality check was in 1960

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Reality check.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reality%20check. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!