real-life

real-life — adjective

1. describes events, people, or situations that exist or happen in the actual world

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes events, people, or situations that exist or happen in the actual world, rather than being invented, performed, or shown in fiction

Example

The film follows a real-life fisherman who survived forty days at sea.

attributive use: real-life + [noun describing a person]

Wren met her closest friend through a real-life encounter at a local bakery, not on an app.

Common collocations
  • real-life story
  • real-life experience
  • real-life situation
  • real-life example
  • real-life hero
  • real-life drama
  • real-life crime
Synonyms
  • actual

    more general; real-life emphasises contrast with fiction, while actual simply means 'not imagined'

  • true-to-life

    more informal; often describes art or storytelling that feels faithful to real experience

  • authentic

    highlights genuineness or credibility; broader than real-life

Antonyms
  • fictional

    invented for a story, film, or game

  • imaginary

    existing only in the mind, not in the real world

  • make-believe

    informal; describes children's play or obviously unreal scenarios

Grammar Patterns

real-life + noun

Usage Note

The hyphenated form real-life is standard when the compound adjective comes before the noun it modifies. When the idea follows a linking verb (e.g., 'The story feels real life'), the open form real life is used instead.

Common Mistakes

The drawing looks very real-life.
The drawing looks very realistic.
real-life is not used as a predicate adjective describing how realistic something looks.

real-life — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Real life (the noun sense) specifically contrasts everyday human experience with fiction, fantasy, or simulation — it is the most concrete of the three and most natural in phrases like 'in real life.' Reality is broader and more abstract; it can refer to the philosophical state of things as they are (e.g., 'the nature of reality') and is also used in formal or academic writing. The real world is a colloquial alternative that often sets school, theory, or online spaces apart from practical life (e.g., 'after graduation you enter the real world'). In most everyday speech, 'in real life' is preferred: 'We have never met in real life.'

real lifereality ↗the real world

Common collocations

Nouns

  • real life and fiction
  • real life and fantasy
  • real life and work

Phrases

  • in real life
  • back to real life
  • in real life versus

Prepositions

  • in real life

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Real-life is a compound formed in modern English from the adjective real (14th century, from Latin realis 'actual') and the noun life (Old English līf 'existence, living'). The hyphenated adjective form gained popularity in the late 19th century as a way to distinguish actual events from fictional portrayals in the growing entertainment and publishing industries.