real-world

adjective

ˈrē(-ə)l-ˈwər(-ə)ld 

: existing or occurring in reality : drawn from or drawing on actual events or situations : real-life

a real-world example

… the complex relationship between a word and the real-world thing it labels.

—Jean Aitchison

Digital objects aren't bound by the same constraints as real-world objects—that is, broadly speaking, the whole point of digital objects—but they're often made to look like real-world objects anyway.

—Lev Grossman

… combine the rigors of academics with the soothing realities of real-world applications.

—Ricardo Bilton

The paintings are essentially abstract, but they don't feel abstract. They feature, besides passages of figurative drawing, a real-world aura …

—Peter Schjeldahl

Examples of real-world in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Its analysis found that 74% of those mentions were tied to real-world projects rather than coursework, an indication students are trying to demonstrate their applied experience. — Corynn Winston, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

If that holds up in real-world use, flight schools could squeeze in more than six sorties per aircraft each day, without the downtime of refueling a gas tank. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

Over the past 12 years, dozens of students like Gfeller have benefited from the small but deeply resourced Independence School District program, geared towards real-world experience in the construction industry. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 25 Sep. 2026

In real-world tests, the small device tracked changes in Earth’s magnetic field as the train arrived, stopped, and left the station. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for real-world

• lifeworld
• unfurled
• curled
• furled
• hurled
• knurled
• swirled
• twirled
• whirled
• whorled
• world
• netherworld