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9 dictionary results for: actual

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

ac·tu·al

[ak-choo-uh

l] Pronunciation Key

–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 -al¹; r. ME actuel < MF < L

]

—Related forms

ac·tu·al·ness, noun

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

—Antonyms 1. unreal, fictional.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ac·tu·al (āk'chōō-əl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Existing and not merely potential or possible. See Synonyms at real¹.
Being, existing, or acting at the present moment; current.
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.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
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.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

actual
adjective
1.	presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible; "the predicted temperature and the actual temperature were markedly different"; "actual and imagined conditions" [ant: possible]
2.	taking place in reality; not pretended or imitated; "we saw the actual wedding on television"; "filmed the actual beating"
3.	being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something; "her actual motive"; "a literal solitude like a desert"- G.K.Chesterton; "a genuine dilemma"
4.	existing in act or fact; "rocks and trees...the actual world"; "actual heroism"; "the actual things that produced the emotion you experienced"
5.	being or existing at the present moment; "the ship's actual position is 22 miles due south of Key West"

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Wallstreet Words - Cite This Source - Share This
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 for Today's Investor by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ac·tu·al
Function: adjective
: existing in fact or reality —compare

CONSTRUCTIVE

—ac·tual·ly adverb

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

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