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Wiktionary The Free Dictionary

actual

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English actual , actuel ("active"), from Anglo-Norman actuel , actual , and its source Late Latin actuālis ("active, practical"), from Latin actus ("act, action, performance"), from agere ("to do; to act") + -alis ("-al"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti , from the root *h2eǵ- . By surface analysis, act +‎ -u- +‎ -al .

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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actual (not comparable )

  1. (chiefly theology ) relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical [from 14th c.]
    • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, "The Tragedie of Macbeth", in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [...] (First Folio), London: [...] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
      In this slumbry agitation, besides her walking, and other actuall performances, what (at any time) haue you heard her say?
    • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living:
      Let your holy and pious intention be actual; that is [...] by a special prayer or action, [...] given to God.
    • 1946, The American Ecclesiastical Review, volume 114:
      Apparently, the holy Doctor was referring to actual, rather than original, sin; yet the basis of his argument for Mary's holiness, the divine maternity, would logically lead to the conclusion that she was free from original sin also.
  2. Existing in reality, not just potentially; really acted or acting; occurring in fact. [from 14th c.]
    Synonyms: real , effective
    Antonyms: potential , possible , virtual , speculative , conceivable , theoretical , nominal , hypothetical , estimated
    the actual cost of goods;  the actual case under discussion
    The actual government expenses dramatically exceed the budget.
  3. Physical rather than virtual.
    Unlike the other phishing attacks discussed earlier, these attacks reach you via your actual mailbox.
  4. (now rare or non-native speakers' English) in action at the time being; now existing; current. [from 18th c.]
    Synonym: present
    Coordinate terms: future , past
    • 1790, Edmund Burke, Reflections on the revolution in France:
      If this be your actual situation, compared to the situation to which you were called, as it were by the voice of God and man, I cannot find it in my heart to congratulate you on the choice you have made, or the success which has attended your endeavours.
    • c. 1793, Edward Gibbon, Memoirs of My Life, Penguin, published 1990, page 85:
      To my actual feelings it seems incredible that I could ever believe that I believed in Transubstantiation!
  5. Used as intensifier to emphasise a following noun; exact, specific, very. [from 18th c.]
    • 2013 August 3, "The machine of a new soul", in The Economist , volume 408, number 8847:
      [H]ow the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure. Yet this is the level of organisation that does the actual thinking—and is, presumably, the seat of consciousness.

Usage notes

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  • In most Romance, Slavic and Germanic languages the cognate of actual means "current". This meaning has also been used in English since the sixteenth century but is now rare due to a semantic shift.
  • The phrase in actual fact has been proscribed by some prescriptivist sources as redundant.[1]
  • The usage concerns about actually have parallels for actual. Writing advice tends to encourage careful use, avoiding overuse, thus reducing any unneeded occurrences of these words. Such advice is sometimes misconstrued as requiring purging of nearly every use, but that notion misunderstands or ignores pragmatics.

Derived terms

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Translations

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existing in act or reality, not just potentially — see also real,‎ existent,‎ true,‎ effective
factual, real, not just apparent or even false — see also really
in action at the time being — see also real
emphasise a noun — see also itself,‎ exact,‎ specific,‎ very,‎ concrete,‎ proper
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Noun

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actual (countable and uncountable , plural actuals )

  1. an actual, real one; notably:
    1. (finance ) something actually received; real receipts, as distinct from estimated ones.
    2. (military ) a radio callsign modifier that specifies the commanding officer of the unit or asset denoted by the remainder of the callsign and not the officer's assistant or other designee.
      Bravo Six Actual, this is Charlie One. Come in, over.
      The radio operator is requesting to speak to the commander of the unit under the call sign "Bravo Six", as opposed to any available member of the unit.
  2. (uncountable ) Reality, usually with the definite article.
    • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], "A London Life", in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. [...], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, [...], →OCLC, page 161:
      There was that desolate air about the chamber which is peculiar to an ill-furnished London room: cities need luxuries, were it only to conceal the actual.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Christopher Howse; Richard Preston (2007), She Literally Exploded: The Daily Telegraph Infuriating Phrasebook, London: Constable and Robinson, →ISBN, page 3.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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    Learned borrowing from Latin actuālis .

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    actual m or f (masculine and feminine plural actuals )

    1. present, current
    2. factual

    Derived terms

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    Further reading

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    Galician

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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    Etymology tree
    Proto-Indo-European *h2eǵ-
    Proto-Indo-European *-eti
    Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti
    Proto-Italic *agō
    Latin agō
    Proto-Indo-European *-tus
    Proto-Italic *-tus
    Latin -tus
    Latin āctus
    Proto-Indo-European *h2el-
    Proto-Indo-European *-is
    Proto-Indo-European *h2élisder. ?
    Proto-Italic *-ālis
    Latin -ālis
    Galician actual

      Learned borrowing from Latin actuālis .

      Pronunciation

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      • IPA (key): /aktuˈal/ [ɑk.t̪uˈɑɫ]
      • Rhymes: -al
      • Hyphenation: ac‧tu‧al

      Adjective

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      actual m or f (plural actuais )

      1. current, present
      2. factual, real, actual

      Derived terms

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      Further reading

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      Interlingua

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      Adjective

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      actual

      1. present, current
      2. factual
      3. (philosophy ) actual, real
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      Middle English

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      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from Anglo-Norman actuel and Late Latin āctuālis ; equivalent to act +‎ -al .

      Pronunciation

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      • IPA (key): /ˌaktiu̯ˈɛːl/, /ˈaktiu̯ɛl/ (from Anglo-Norman actuel )
      • IPA (key): /ˌaktiu̯ˈal/, /ˈaktiu̯al/ (from Late Latin āctuālis )

      Adjective

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      actual

      1. actual , real, true
      2. (philosophy , theology ) active

      Derived terms

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      Descendants

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      References

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      Occitan

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      Alternative forms

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      Etymology

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      From Latin actuālis .

      Pronunciation

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      Adjective

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      actual m (feminine singular actuala , masculine plural actuals , feminine plural actualas )

      1. current

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      Portuguese

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      Adjective

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      actual m or f (plural actuais )

      1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1990 in Portugal) of atual ; still used where the agreement hasn’t come into effect and may occur as a sporadic misspelling

      Further reading

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      Romanian

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      Etymology

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      Borrowed from French actuel , from Latin actualis . By surface analysis, act +‎ -ual .

      Adjective

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      actual m or n (feminine singular actuală , masculine plural actuali , feminine/neuter plural actuale )

      1. present-day

      Declension

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      Declension of actual
      singular plural
      masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
      nominative-
      accusative       		indefinite actual actuală actuali actuale
      definite actualul actuala actualii actualele
      genitive-
      dative       		indefinite actual actuale actuali actuale
      definite actualului actualei actualilor actualelor

      Scots

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      Pronunciation

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      Adjective

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      actual (comparative mair actual, superlative maist actual)

      1. actual

      Adverb

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      actual (comparative mair actual, superlative maist actual)

      1. (Urban Scots) Used as intensifier or exclamation indicating excitement, amazement, frustration, disbelief; seriously, really
        aw ma god yer actual jokin me ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
        mate the park is pure hoachin wi folk – actual? ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

      References

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      Spanish

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      Etymology

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      Etymology tree
      Proto-Indo-European *h2eǵ-
      Proto-Indo-European *-eti
      Proto-Indo-European *h2éǵeti
      Proto-Italic *agō
      Latin agō
      Proto-Indo-European *-tus
      Proto-Italic *-tus
      Latin -tus
      Latin āctus
      Proto-Indo-European *h2el-
      Proto-Indo-European *-is
      Proto-Indo-European *h2élisder. ?
      Proto-Italic *-ālis
      Latin -ālis
      Spanish actual

        Learned borrowing from Latin actuālis . Cognate with English actual although a false friend.

        Pronunciation

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        Adjective

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        actual m or f (masculine and feminine plural actuales )

        1. present, current
          • 2020 July 9, Carlos E. Cué, Miguel González, "Sánchez plantea revisar la inviolabilidad del Rey en la Constitución", in El País ‎[1] , archived from the original on 10 July 2020:
            Cuando se le preguntó si se está buscando "alguna salida" para el rey emérito, Calvo respondió que el futuro de Juan Carlos I "compete fundamentalmente a la decisión que tome el jefe de la Casa Real, que es el actual rey Felipe VI".
            (please add an English translation of this quotation)
          • 2025 May 30, David Goldman and Elisabeth Buchwald, "Trump anuncia que los aranceles al acero aumentarán a 50 %", in CNN en Español ‎[2] :
            El presidente Donald Trump anunció este viernes que establecerá aranceles del 50 % al acero importado a Estados Unidos, el doble de la tasa actual.
            President Donald Trump announced this Friday that he will impose 50% tariffs on imported steel to the United States, double the current rate.
        2. factual
        3. (philosophy ) actual , real
        4. present-day
          San Pablo nació en Tarso de Cilicia en la actual Turquía.
          Saint Paul was born in Tarsus of Cilicia in present-day Turkey.

        Usage notes

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        • Actual is a false friend and does not mean the same as the English word actual . Spanish equivalents are shown above, in the "Translations" section of the English entry actual .

        Derived terms

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        Noun

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        actual m (plural actuales )

        1. (preceded by del ) of the current month, year, etc.
          Synonyms: corriente , presente
          El día veinte del actual.
          The twentieth of this [month].

        See also

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        Further reading

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        Anagrams

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        AltStyle によって変換されたページ (->オリジナル) /