reality

Etymology

[circa 1540] From French réalité (“quality of being real”), Middle French realité (“property, possession”), from Medieval Latin realitas, from Late Latin realis (“real”). Recorded since 1550 as a legal term in the sense of “fixed property” (compare real estate, realty); the sense “real existence” is attested from 1647.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹiˈælɪti/, /ɹiˈæləti/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ælɪti

Noun

reality (usually uncountable, plural realities)

1. The state of being actual or real.

   The reality of the crash scene on TV dawned upon him only when he saw the victim was no actor but his friend.

   • Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

     A man fancies that he understands a critic, when in reality he does not comprehend his meaning.

   • 1915, George A. Birmingham, “chapter I”, in Gossamer (Project Gutenberg; EBook #24394), London: Methuen & Co., published 8 January 2013 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 558189256:

     As a political system democracy seems to me extraordinarily foolish, […]. My servant is, so far as I am concerned, welcome to as many votes as he can get. […] I do not suppose that it matters much in reality whether laws are made by dukes or cornerboys, but I like, as far as possible, to associate with gentlemen in private life.

   • 2013 June 7, Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalisation is about taxes too”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 19:

     It is time the international community faced the reality: we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. It is a tax system that is pivotal in creating the increasing inequality that marks most advanced countries today […].

2. A real entity, event or other fact.

   The ultimate reality of life is that it ends in death.

   • John Milton (1608-1674)

     And to realities yield all her shows.

   • James Beattie (1735-1803)

     My neck may be an idea to you, but it is reality to me.

   • 2005 October 25, European Court of Human Rights, Wypych v. Poland‎, number 2428/05:

     Given the economic realities of contemporary Poland, a requirement to provide information on movable assets which exceed PLN 10,000 in value cannot be held to be excessive.

3. The entirety of all that is real.
4. An individual observer's own subjective perception of that which is real.
5. (obsolete) Loyalty; devotion.
   • Thomas Fuller (1606-1661)

     To express our reality to the emperor.

6. (law, obsolete) Realty; real estate.

Anagrams

• irately, tearily

Etymology

English

Noun

reality m (plural realities or realitys)

1. (television) reality show