the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be
He escaped from reality by going to the cinema every afternoon.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
reality
noun (no plural)
the way that something really is, not how you would like it to be:
I enjoyed my holiday, but now it's back to reality.
She looked very confident but in reality she was extremely nervous.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
reality
re‧al‧i‧ty S2 W2 /riˈæləti, riˈælɪti/ BrE AmE noun (plural realities)
[Word Family: noun: ↑realism, ↑realist, ↑reality, ↑unreality, ↑realization; adverb: ↑real, ↑really, ↑realistically ≠ ↑unrealistically; adjective: ↑real, ↑unreal, ↑realistic ≠ ↑unrealistic; verb: ↑realize]
1. [uncountable and countable] what actually happens or is true, not what is imagined or thought:
the distinction between fantasy and reality
TV is used as an escape from reality.
I think the government has lost touch with reality (=no longer understands what is real or true).
political realities
harsh/grim/stark reality
Millions of people live with the harsh realities of unemployment.
the reality is that
The reality is that young people will not go into teaching until salaries are higher.
The paperless office may one day become a reality.
2. in reality used to say that something is different from what people think:
In reality, violent crimes are still extremely rare.
3. [uncountable] the fact that something exists or is happening:
She had never accepted the reality of her pregnancy.
⇨ ↑virtual reality
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ the harsh/grim/stark reality (=conditions that are really very bad) We want to protect our children from the harsh reality of our violent world.
▪ political/social/economic realities He's ignoring political realities.
■ verbs
▪ face reality (=accept it) It's painful, but you have to face reality.
▪ confront a reality (=consider or deal with it) They had to confront some unpleasant realities about themselves.
▪ ignore a reality They are ignoring the reality of Arab politics.
▪ wake up to reality (=realize what is happening or real) Well, they need to wake up to reality.
▪ lose touch with reality (=no longer know about ordinary things or what is possible) If all you have is the show-business world, you kind of lose touch with reality.
▪ escape from reality The programmes help viewers escape from reality.
▪ bring somebody back to reality (=make them realize what is happening around them or true) She was brought back to reality by the pain in her ankle.
▪ become a reality (=really happen, after being hoped for, feared, etc by someone) Last June, her longed-for baby finally became a reality.
▪ reflect reality (=match or show what is really happening or true) Do these novels accurately reflect contemporary reality?
▪ bear no relation to reality (=not match what is really happening or true) His vision of European politics bears no relation to reality.
▪ be divorced from reality (=not connected in any way to what is really happening) His ideas are completely divorced from reality.
■ phrases
▪ a dose of reality (=an experience of what things are really like) I got my first dose of reality when I reported to work at my new job.
▪ somebody's grasp of reality (=their understanding of reality) They portrayed her as a sick woman with only a tenuous grasp of reality.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
reality
real·ity [reality realities] [riˈæləti] [riˈæləti] noun (pl. real·ities)
1. uncountable the true situation and the problems that actually exist in life, in contrast to how you would like life to be
• She refuses to face reality.
• You're out of touch with reality.
• The reality is that there is not enough money to pay for this project.
• They seemed to have the perfect marriage but the reality was very different.
2. countable a thing that is actually experienced or seen, in contrast to what people might imagine
• the harsh realities of life
• This decision reflects the realities of the political situation.
• The paperless office is still far from being a reality.
• Will time travel ever become a reality?
3. uncountable ~ television/TV/shows/series/contestants television/shows, etc. that use real people (not actors) in real situations, presented as entertainment
• a reality TV star
• the reality show ‘Big Brother’
see also virtual reality
Idiom: in reality
Word Origin:
late 15th cent.: via French from medieval Latin realitas, from late Latin realis ‘relating to things’, from Latin res ‘thing’.
Thesaurus:
reality noun U
• Outwardly she seemed confident but in reality was very nervous.
fact • • the truth • • real life • • the real world •
Opp: fantasy
in reality/fact/real life/the real world
face/accept/ignore reality/the fact/the truth
Example Bank:
• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.
• He has no illusions about the underlying reality of army life.
• Her parents always tried to shield her from the realities of the world.
• I don't think he understands the reality of the situation.
• I don't think you have quite grasped the realities of our situation!
• It's our task to make the proposals a reality.
• It's time for a reality check: are these goals really achievable?
• Most comedy relies on distorting reality.
• Most people's ideas of the disease do not have much to do with the reality.
• One day her dream will become a reality.
• Painters at the time were largely concerned with reproducing external reality.
• She will have to face reality sooner or later.
• The director creates a believable, gritty reality.
• The media portray her as happy and successful, but in reality she has a difficult life.
• The movie portrays a kind of alternate reality.
• The novel describes the harsh realities of racism and life on the road.
• They are out of touch with the realities of modern warfare.
• We were faced with the awful reality of having nowhere to live.
• a book that captures the reality of life during wartime
• the harsh economic realities of life as a student
• the practical realities of running a children's home
• the use of virtual reality in computer games
• She refuses to face reality.
• You're out of touch with reality.
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
reality / riˈæl.ɪ.ti / / -ə.t̬i / noun
B2 [ S or U ] the state of things as they are, rather than as they are imagined to be:
The reality of the situation is that unless we find some new funding soon, the youth centre will have to close.
He escaped from reality by going to the cinema every afternoon.
He seemed very young, but he was in reality (= in fact) older than all of us.
B2 [ C ] a fact:
The book confronts the harsh social and political realities of the world today.
Her childhood ambition became a reality (= happened in fact) when she was made a judge.
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
reality
[riæ̱lɪti]
♦♦
realities
1) N-UNCOUNT You use reality to refer to real things or the real nature of things rather than imagined, invented, or theoretical ideas.
→ See also virtual reality
Fiction and reality were increasingly blurred...
Psychiatrists become too caught up in their theories to deal adequately with reality.
Ant:
fiction
2) N-COUNT: usu the N of n The reality of a situation is the truth about it, especially when it is unpleasant or difficult to deal with.
...the harsh reality of top international competition...
Other psychoanalysts do accept the reality of child sexual abuse.
3) N-SING You say that something has become a reality when it actually exists or is actually happening.
...the whole procedure that made this book become a reality...
The reality is that they are poor.
4) PHRASE: PHR with cl You can use in reality to introduce a statement about the real nature of something, when it contrasts with something incorrect that has just been described.
He came across as streetwise, but in reality he was not.
Syn:
in fact
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1re·al·i·ty /riˈæləti/ noun, pl -ties
1 [noncount] : the true situation that exists : the real situation
• He refused to face/accept reality. [=the truth]
• the difference between fiction/fantasy and reality
• She's out of touch with reality. [=she does not know what is really true]
• The reality is that we can't afford to buy a house.
• He used television as an escape from reality.
2 [count] : something that actually exists or happens : a real event, occurrence, situation, etc.
• The movie shows the harsh/grim/stark realities of war. [=the things that really happen in a war]
• Her dream of competing in the Olympics became a reality. [=she competed in the Olympics, as she had dreamed of doing]
• They made the plan a reality.
- see also virtual reality
in reality : in truth - used to stress that something is true or real especially when it is different from what was believed or expected
• They talked as if they had accomplished a lot, but in reality they did very little.
• In reality, she was 15 years younger than she looked.