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

The series denounced real-world political violence in a statement and attached a viewer discretion warning to the episode. —Conor Murray, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to the value of a real-world asset like the U.S. dollar. —Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2024

The arrangement could also help North Korea gain real-world intelligence on the functioning of its weaponry. —Yoonjung Seo, CNN, 23 Oct. 2024

Another release, Do No Harm, focuses on real-world stories of the aftermath that followed Roe v. Wade being overturned in 2022. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above