actual

adjective

ac·​tu·​al ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 

-sh(ə-w)əl;

-chü-əl, 

-shü-

1

a

: existing in fact or reality

actual events

actual and imagined conditions

b

: not false or apparent

actual costs

c

—used for emphasis

This is the actual room in which my grandfather was born.

2

: existing or occurring at the time

caught in the actual commission of a crime

3

obsolete : active

Synonyms of actual

• real
• factual
• true

Examples of actual in a Sentence

They signed the agreement in the spring, but the actual sale wasn't made until that summer.

You deposit money in a bank account but the actual money is not held there.

The actual cost of the repair was much higher than the estimate.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, that doesn’t affect the actual smoking process. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026

Whereas the World Cup has long given way to the phenomenon of the English World Cup hype anthem (of these, New Order’s 1990 banger World in Motion is arguably the most listenable outside the context of the actual event), the tradition seems to have sputtered out. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 12 June 2026

Firewalls did not stop them and scanners did not catch them because the actual attack surface was never where most teams were pointed. —Santhosh Jayaprakash, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

What's fascinating is that the Novus One's actual performance lands surprisingly close to bikes costing one-third as much. —Utkarsh Sood june 12, New Atlas, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "active, existing in fact," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French actuel, borrowed from Late Latin āctuālis, from Latin āctus act entry 1 + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing actual

• actual cash value
• in actual fact

Kids Definition

actual

adjective

ac·​tu·​al ˈak-ch(ə-w)əl 

ˈak-sh(ə-w)əl

: existing in fact and not merely as a possibility

actuality

ˌak-chə-ˈwal-ət-ē, 

-shə-

noun

actualization

ˈak-ch(ə-w)ə-lə-ˈzā-shən, 

-sh(ə-w)ə-

noun

actualize

-ˌīz

verb

Legal Definition

actual

adjective

ac·​tu·​al

: existing in fact or reality compare constructive

actually adverb