actual
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Middle English actual, actuel (“active”), from Old French actuel, actual, from Late Latin actualis (“active, practical”), from Latin actus (“act, action, performance”),, from agere (“to do; to act”) + -alis (“-al”).
Pronunciation [edit]
Adjective [edit]
actual (not comparable)
- Existing in act or reality, not just potentially; really acted or acting; occurring in fact
- the actual cost of goods
- the actual case under discussion
- Factual, real, not just apparent or even false
- The actual government expenses dramatically excede the budget
- In action at the time being; now existing.
- The actual situation of the world economy is worse than anyone expected a year ago
- (obsolete) Active, not passive
- Used to emphasise a noun or verb, whether something is real or metaphorical.
Usage notes [edit]
- In some foreign languages the counterpart of actual also means “modern”. This meaning occurs mainly in English written by allophones, but is nonstandard English.
- The phrase in actual fact is criticised by many as redundant.[1]
Synonyms [edit]
Antonyms [edit]
- (existing in act or reality): potential, possible, virtual, speculative, conceivable, theoretical, nominal, hypothetical, estimated
- (in action at the time being): future, past
Derived terms [edit]
terms derived from actual (adjective)
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
existing in act or reality, not just potentially
factual, real, not just apparent or even false
in action at the time being
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emphasise a noun
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
See also [edit]
Noun [edit]
actual (plural actuals)
- An actual, real one; notably:
- (finance) Something actually received; real receipts, as distinct from estimated ones.
- (military) A radio callsign modifier that specifies the commanding officer of the unit or asset denoted by the remainder of the callsign and not the officer's assistant or other designee.
- "Bravo Six Actual, Snakebite leader" (The person with the callsign "Snakebite leader" requests to speak to the commander of company Bravo and not the radio operator.)
References [edit]
- ^ “She Literally Exploded : The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook”, Christopher Howse and Richard Preston (Constable‧London, 2007; ISBN 978‒1‒84529‒675‒9), page 3
External links [edit]
- actual in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- actual in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
Anagrams [edit]
Catalan [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Latin actualis.
Adjective [edit]
actual m, f (masculine and feminine plural actuals)
Related terms [edit]
Galician [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Latin actualis.
Adverb [edit]
actual m and f (plural actuais)
Derived terms [edit]
Interlingua [edit]
Adjective [edit]
actual
- present, current
- factual
- (philosophy) actual, real
Related terms [edit]
Portuguese [edit]
Adjective [edit]
actual m and f (plural actuais; comparable)
- European Portuguese form of atual
Spanish [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Latin actualis.
Adjective [edit]
actual m and f (plural actuales)
- present, current
- factual
- (philosophy) actual, real
Usage notes [edit]
- Actual is a false friend, and does not mean the same as the English word actual. Spanish equivalents are shown above,in the "Translations" section of the English entry actual.
Related terms [edit]
See also [edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- English terms with obsolete senses
- English nouns
- en:Finance
- en:Military
- Catalan terms derived from Latin
- Catalan adjectives
- Catalan epicene adjectives
- Galician terms derived from Latin
- Galician adjectives
- Interlingua adjectives
- ia:Philosophy
- Portuguese adjectives
- European Portuguese
- Spanish terms derived from Latin
- Spanish adjectives
- es:Philosophy
