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actual

[ak-choo-uh

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

existing in act or fact; real: an actual case of heroism; actual expenses.

existing now; present; current: The ship's actual position is 22 miles due east of Miami.

Obsolete. pertaining to or involving acts or action.

Origin:
1275–1325; < Late Latin āctuālis, equivalent to Latin āctu- (stem of action noun āctus; see act) + -ālis -al¹; replacing Middle English actuel < Middle French < Latin

Related forms

ac·tu·al·ness, noun

non·ac·tu·al, adjective

non·ac·tu·al·ness, noun

Synonyms
1. genuine, authentic, veritable. See real¹.

Antonyms
1. unreal, fictional.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Actual is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

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Example Sentences

The game may be virtual, but the bucks will be actual.

The point of graduate school, for the actual graduate students themselves, is preparation for a career.

The figures on public sector union membership do not give a real clear picture of the actual situation.

EXPAND

The game may be virtual, but the bucks will be actual.

The point of graduate school, for the actual graduate students themselves, is preparation for a career.

The figures on public sector union membership do not give a real clear picture of the actual situation.

Although this theory has been widely accepted, finding an actual shock breakout was due to extreme serendipity.

That's right, there's more time on replays than on the actual plays.

So it's surprising to see these and then think someone cuts them into actual diamonds.

After that, the actual processing of the tea turned out to be pretty simple.

Since these are actual power chords, you'll be learning to play the guitar.

Indiana was unable to cite a single instance of actual voter impersonation at any point in its history.

It's a common mistake for a proposal writer to fall into writing the actual dissertation in the process of laying it out.

Ya know, a friend told me once that placebos are often almost as effective as the actual drug in medical studies.

It's also the first step toward actual photographs of planets outside our solar system.

Here, avatars watch the webcast while seated in a virtual amphitheater, which was a replica of the actual site.

Rethinking the franchise could lead to an actual good movie.

See the actual cinder cone on top while enjoying gorgeous city views.

Of course, the actual driving part is a little deeper than that.

We do not spend enough time focusing on our actual economic problems.

Often there is no budget based on actual or projected resources.

I'd say biggest actual military threat to trade is from pirates.

He tells us photographing the actual cutting is forbidden.

Journal article explanations of how science works often differ from the actual process.

He bases his stories around actual subjects with the writer's license to fill the fictional plots.

The actual tomatoes somehow still look absolutely marvelous.

Scientists have come up with the first comprehensive map of global shipping routes based on actual itineraries.

The campaign is among several under way that seek to burnish brand images by using actual employees rather than actors.

Another criticism of mainstream journalists of yore was that they had little actual interest in religion.

While well written and logical, nothing here points to an actual solution.

Since a rainbow is an optical illusion, it doesn't have an actual endpoint.

Within the brain, these signals derived from the taste bud cause the actual sensation of sweetness.

But they were established with a noble purpose, as places where doctors-in-training could study actual specimens.

What's neat about this toy is that it's using actual physics, instead of the slightly tweaked physics of the app.

Actual salary will be commensurate with education and experience.

In the actual experiment, there were no leading and trailing pulses.

The simulated temperatures were a good fit against the actual observed surface temperatures.

It would be amazing to see actual colors in this world.

If you or yours is a science geek, expressing how much you care doesn't necessarily require actual words.

Yet the role of manga in the broader economic ecosystem is perhaps more important than its actual sales figures.

Expenses for the actual research may be the smallest component of the budget.

The pressure not to say anything upsetting to these actual or potential clients is huge.

But when the air is humid, evaporating the moisture becomes more difficult and the actual cooling effect is much smaller.

Two actual archaeological sites are located at the museum.

And once the songs are ready it's time to create the actual dances.

The actual likelihood of getting hired depends on the school you attend and the demand for people in your area.

Comparing these with actual rates signals if a currency is under- or overvalued.

These ratings were compared with those of actual residents.

For some hobbyists, the actual crafting of the models is an equally absorbing aspect of their avocation.

But it is a different matter when it comes to actual initiatives.

When actual output exceeds potential, demand for products and labour bids up prices and wages, fuelling inflation.

There are usually links to the actual science in the article.

But that doesn't necessarily translate into actual teaching.

It's something you can point to later, if you have an actual case of plagiarism, as long as you stick to the policy as written.

Ross was there when an actual deal was put together and negotiated at length.

One part provides the intention, and the other powers the actual movement.

Although the actual number could be well above this lower limit, the study establishes a more realistic floor, its authors say.

The actual function of the normal huntingtin protein is unknown, but it is believed to be involved in embryonic development.

But the researchers are still years away from an actual device.

Ian, consider what the actual cost is to extract oil from the fieldpennies, really.

The mapmaker in our neurons favors the category over actual proximity.

It seems to me that the ultimate solution will have to be going from surveys to actual observations.

These beetles shine not because of chemical pigmentation or the incorporation of actual metals.

Actual data will only continue to match the computer models anyhow.

God forbid the girls should ascend to the rank of actual chemist.

Someone has suggested pheronomes as the actual trigger.

So far prices have not been pushed up by actual disruptions to supply.

To find the best answers, digital services are turning to actual humans.

For best fit, you may want to hold the front trim piece in position and trace the actual dimensions of the triangle.

The scientists compared their predictions about these differences to actual studies on wolverines and mahogany.

Halloran's information about city employee statements contributed no actual evidence about a possible slowdown”.

What it fails to capture is the dramatic decrease in actual state dollars for higher education.

For example, actual temperatures were at the high end of the predicted range.

There is no need to go to a continuously curved model because the actual hotel is probably made of a whole bunch of flat mirrors.

Figures adjusted for inflation depict actual growth above the rate of inflation.

Record your prediction of the temperature in each location and then check the actual temperature.

Earlier studies raised the possibility, but had not mapped social networks against actual disease models.

But they will do so not by dehumanizing players but rather by bridging the gap between media and actual personal experience.

It emphasizes practical business skills, networking, and students' interaction with actual entrepreneurs.

The researchers then compared the volunteers' estimates with the actual energy requirements or savings in.

The loss of such cars saddened enthusiasts, but rarely has a vehicle's demise occasioned an actual funeral.

Kiesel came up with a design that emulated a stream bed running through the property without using any actual water.

Still, the series sports enough actual science and decent acting to merit further viewing.

It used aliens in place of actual species to be certain that the participants could not draw on prior knowledge.

Winner will not receive difference between actual and approximate.

Its spine, a sloping village lane, leads to an almost sacred view of the actual island.

There's a reason why actual science is published in peer-reviewed.

Plus swarms of real-world machinery and thousands of actual.

Spouse says keep my actual address as schools will see an out-of-state applicant as more desirable.

Actual numbers for such things are usually available only with a lag.

Actual value may vary based on airfare fluctuations and distance between departure and destination.

Yet these prayerful cartoons didn't cue actual words.

We decided to rule out entries from actual farmers, even small-scale ones.

If you haven't qualified to received the actual piece of paper, you don't have the degree.

One avatar described a word without mentioning the actual word.

In the past, however, radar has had trouble distinguishing actual turbulence producers from data contaminants.

But the cynical and credulous alike can both find patronising fault in the actual design:.

The officers be given both symbolic and actual resources to accomplish their goals.

Unemployment is high and there are large gaps between the economies' actual output and their potential.

Winner will not receive difference between actual and approximate retail value.

Therefore, if a2 or b2 is larger, the offset of the radar gun from perfectly parallel will add to the speed of the actual car.

Actual value of may vary based on point of departure.

But the actual figure could be much higher, depending on spillover effects and the response from the private sector.

Pakistan admits its sympathies but routinely denies providing actual support.

But getting actual pictures of exoplanets should become possible in the coming years.

The best way to prepare is in an actual race car on an actual racetrack.

Have them generate examples of actual behaviors on the workplace that would demonstrate each value.

Most museum exhibits of dinosaurs do not use actual dinosaur bones, but rather molds and casts.

The persistent firing of photoreceptors makes you see a bright white disk long after the actual flash has gone.

Having your actual torso bitten off by an actual great white might actually be preferable to this.

We now talk about details for weeks before the actual dinner.

Most of these reconstructed faces are quite close to the actual person.

Indeed, taking an actual extended vacation or smaller, shorter ones during the summer is vital.

Modern theorists in his view have drifted too far from the actual world.

Drive the actual route with your mouse before getting into the car.

During a film of an actual nuclear test, a flash of white light and bursts of air fill the room as the floor vibrates.

Heaven forbid there be any expectation that students pursue actual disciplinary content.

Several explanations spring to mind for the discrepancy between perceived opportunities and actual behaviour.

Try to find an actual travel brochure of the area and compare your brochure to the real one.

And the subjects' impressions strongly matched the perceptions of the actual residents.

Some licorice products don't contain extracts from the actual root and instead use anise to achieve a similar flavor.

It's true that symbolic violence and actual violence are of a different order.

The actual damage done was minimal: some e-mail was disrupted and some target sites were rendered unavailable to the public.

However, the actual time between reversals varies widely.

Actual positions of the animals are usually positively related to these predictions but are, again, not always optimal.

There seems to be too much bigotry on both sides without any actual evidence presented in alot of cases.

The second issue are the actual differences between the two types of libraries.

Worse, they think nothing of engaging in actual manual labour in their pursuit of knowledge.

The butterfly larvae are then cared for at the expense of actual ant babies.

When the duo accounted for social rank, however, it turned out actual birth order may not be the key to intelligence.

Sure it be nice to see shows that show actual paleontology but eh the show looks pretty neat.

But there remains great debate about the actual purpose of the structure.

Second, the idea of moving an ecosystem into a new range oversimplifies the actual patterns climate change is bringing.

The authors are facile debaters and know that images get more press and public attention than the actual details of a paper.

Tell students that they will be working in groups to research and display actual tornado data.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

actual (ˈæktʃʊəl)

—*adj*
1.	existing in reality or as a matter of fact
2.	real or genuine
3.	existing at the present time; current
4.	informal, facetious often (Brit) (usually preceded by your) (intensifier): that music's by your actual Mozart, isn't it?

usage The excessive use of actual and actually should be avoided. They are unnecessary in sentences such as in actual fact, he is forty-two, and he did actually go to the play but did not enjoy it

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

actual

early 14c., "pertaining to an action," from O.Fr. actuel "now existing, up to date" (13c.), from L.L. actualis "active," adj. form of L. actus (see act). The broader sense of "real" (as opposed to potential, ideal, etc.) is due to infl. of Fr. actualite.

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Matching Quote

"I am come, young ladies, in a very moralizing strain, to observe that our pleasures of this world are always to be for, and that we often purchase them at a great disadvantage, giving readi-monied actual happiness for a draft on the future, that may not be honoured."

-Jane Austen

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