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actual - 7 dictionary results

ac⋅tu⋅al

  [ak-choo-uhl]
Use actual in a Sentence
–adjective
1. existing in act or fact; real: an actual case of heroism; actual expenses.
2. existing now; present; current: The ship's actual position is 22 miles due east of Miami.
3. Obsolete. pertaining to or involving acts or action.
Origin:
1275–1325; < LL āctuālis, equiv. to L āctu- (s. of action n. āctus; see act ) + -ālis -al 1 ; r. ME actuel < MF < L

Related forms:
ac⋅tu⋅al⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. genuine, authentic, veritable. See real 1 .

Antonyms:
1. unreal, fictional.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ac·tu·al   (āk'chōō-əl)   
adj.  
  1. Existing and not merely potential or possible. See Synonyms at real1.
  2. Being, existing, or acting at the present moment; current.
  3. Based on fact: an actual account of the accident.

[Middle English, from Old French, active, from Late Latin āctuālis, from Latin āctus, past participle of agere, to drive, do; see ag- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Actual

Ac"tu*al\ (#; 135), a. [OE. actuel, F. actuel, L. actualis, fr. agere to do, act.]

1. Involving or comprising action; active. [Obs.]

Her walking and other actual performances. --Shak.

Let your holy and pious intention be actual; that is . . . by a special prayer or action, . . . given to God. --Jer. Taylor.

2. Existing in act or reality; really acted or acting; in fact; real; -- opposed to potential, possible, virtual, speculative, conceivable, theoretical, or nominal; as, the actual cost of goods; the actual case under discussion.

3. In action at the time being; now exiting; present; as the actual situation of the country.

Actual cautery. See under Cautery.

Actual sin (Theol.), that kind of sin which is done by ourselves in contradistinction to "original sin."

Syn: Real; genuine; positive; certain. See Real.

Actual

Ac"tu*al\, n. (Finance) Something actually received; real, as distinct from estimated, receipts. [Cant]

The accounts of revenues supplied . . . were not real receipts: not, in financial language, "actuals," but only Egyptian budget estimates. --Fortnightly Review.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : actual
Spanish: real,
German: tatsächlich,
Japanese: 現実の
More Translations »

actual 
c.1315, "pertaining to an action," from O.Fr. actuel "now existing, up to date," 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. Actually in the sense of "as a matter of fact, really" is attested from 1762.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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actual

In commodities, the physical asset (that is, the commodity) as opposed to a futures contract on that asset.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Main Entry: ac·tu·al
Function: adjective
: existing in fact or reality —compare CONSTRUCTIVE —ac·tual·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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