as in real
existing in fact and not merely as a possibility
the actual outcome of the election was quite different from what everybody had expected
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Recent Examples of actual
Aside from the technical difficulties, the actual draft went largely to form.
—
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
We’re used to the actual pick announcements being mumbled into a microphone, so contracting out some charisma wasn’t the worst idea.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 28 June 2025
While ambition has soared, actual outcomes have continued to lag stubbornly behind.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Even without actual mucus, suction cups with a water seal have been found to hang onto things 55 times longer than those without.
—ArsTechnica, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025
We’re used to the actual pick announcements being mumbled into a microphone, so contracting out some charisma wasn’t the worst idea.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 28 June 2025
While ambition has soared, actual outcomes have continued to lag stubbornly behind.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
Even without actual mucus, suction cups with a water seal have been found to hang onto things 55 times longer than those without.
—ArsTechnica, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for actual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for actual
Adjective
-
The person behind the schoolboy video, which defended Duterte, claimed to the news agency that the views shared were collected from real students.—
Cecilia Hult,
Fortune,
28 June 2025
-
Jordan Campbell: What Filipe Luis has created at Flamengo is a real testament to what having a clear coaching vision can do.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
This expansive series was edited by Paul E. Blackwood, a scientist and educator with the US Office of Education, who also wrote government bulletins and surveys on science education research As interest in children’s science books grew, many educators stressed the importance of factual accuracy.—
Jessica George,
JSTOR Daily,
25 June 2025
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Limited training data, large language model design and a lack of real-world experience can create responses that meet the best probable response instead of factual answers.—
Gaurav Basra,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
Beyond all of the twists and many, many, many turns that kept viewers tuned in every Tuesday night, the core of the show was about true female friendship and the loyalty that comes with that, no matter what.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
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This milieu is both true to history and solves one of the series’ longstanding structural flaws.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Actual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/actual. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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