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 real-world implications of these attacks are significant. —Keren Katz, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025

The debut of the AI Hub brought 10 exhibitors into focus, showcasing real-world applications of artificial intelligence across production, post-production, distribution, and promotional functions. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Mar. 2025

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was a co-producer of the movie, and his responsibility was to ensure every scene in the film remained in line with real-world Grand Prix racing. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025

Set far into the future after humanity has been destroyed, the book features a cult that clones its members, the cult in the book resembles the real-world Raëlian movement, which is a group in France that believes that aliens invented modern technology and hope for immortality through cloning. —Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025

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