[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.

* IPA(key): /riˈæləti/ * Rhymes: -ælɪti

REALITY (_usually uncountable_, _plural_ REALITIES) * 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, _Gossamer_, chapterI: 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. * 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. * The entirety of all that is real. * An individual observer's own subjective perception of that which is real. * (obsolete) Loyalty; devotion. * Thomas Fuller (1606-1661) To express our REALITY to the emperor. * (law, obsolete) Realty; real estate. SYNONYMS * actuality * real world DERIVED TERMS * reality check * reality show * reality television * virtual reality RELATED TERMS * realia * realism * realize * realty TRANSLATIONS

* tao

* irately

REALITY m (_plural_ REALITIES) * (television) reality show