actuality

[ ak-choo-al-i-tee ]

noun

, plural ac·tu·al·i·ties.

1. actual existence; reality.
2. an actual condition or circumstance; fact:

   Space travel is now an actuality.

actuality

/ ˌæktʃʊˈælɪtɪ /

noun

1. true existence; reality
2. sometimes plural a fact or condition that is real

Other Words From

• nonac·tu·ali·ty noun plural nonactualities

Word History and Origins

Origin of actuality¹

1350–1400; Middle English actualite < Medieval Latin āctuālitās. See actual, -ity

Example Sentences

“I thought I had a really poor memory, so I was concerned when I started this book that I’d forget all the nuanced detail,” but in actuality, when he gave himself enough space and time, he found that he could “open a collection of doors and memories.”

From Los Angeles Times

In actuality, if the hyper-polarization of American politics and the growing discourse around social media’s habit-forming tendencies are any indication, we politics nerds are no more prepared to set limits without structural support than the teenagers attached to their smartphones in the recent docuseries “Social Studies.”

From Los Angeles Times

Ono was an integral member of the group, “so this idea that Yoko somehow encroached on Chuck Berry is false. In actuality, Chuck Berry encroached on John and Yoko’s band. When Yoko chimes in, that to me is the true rock ‘n’ roll moment of that whole appearance.

From Salon

The food of the common person — the meals scarfed down when everyone is too tired to cook, money is tight or the kids just need to be placated — is, in actuality, the food of the elite.

From Los Angeles Times

Despite the white noise and the growing parasocial hatred inflicted on Roan, she isn't an artist who can be muzzled — in actuality, it has only made her beliefs more steadfast in a political system and discourse that grows increasingly unruly.

From Salon