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

Are there risks from fluoride? Despite decades of study and real-world evidence of its benefits, fluoride continues to be scrutinized. —Erika Edwards, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024

Students received problems with real-world context and then built models or discussed how to solve them with their peers. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

The show is reported to be based on a real-world case from the 1990s. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

Powers also shared his conviction on the development of institutional-grade platforms for cryptocurrency and real-world assets and the tokenization of assets. 4. —Alex Lazarow, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above