reality

Everyday

1. Reality is what really exists or happens, not what is imagined or pretend. tree →
2. A reality is a fact or situation you have to face: «the reality of living on a farm». tree →
3. Virtual reality (VR) is a computer world you can see with a headset. tree →

In the lessons

In stories it is the opposite of a dream, fantasy or magic world. In everyday life «in reality» means «actually». In computing lessons: virtual reality. TV «reality shows» film real people, but often staged. Phrases: «in reality», «face reality», «reality check», «become a reality».

Examples

• In reality, the monster was just a shadow. tree →
• Her dream of a puppy became a reality. tree →
• It's time to face reality: the holidays are over. tree →
• Virtual reality lets you explore space. tree →
• The film mixes fantasy and reality. tree →
• Reality TV shows aren't always real. tree →
• The reality of camping was colder than we thought. tree →
• (informal) That was a real reality check. tree →
• But how does the sea look in reality? tree →

Note

Mostly uncountable; countable for particular facts (harsh realities). Adjective: real; adverb: really. Myth: reality TV is not always what really happens; much of it is planned.

In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: Sefer Yetzirah teaches that God made real things out of nothing, using letters and numbers. Tradition reads words and letters as the building blocks of creation. In the primary lessons: In stories it is the opposite of a dream, fantasy or magic world. In everyday life «in reality» means «actually». In computing lessons: virtual reality. TV «reality shows» film real people, but often staged. Phrases: «in reality», «face reality», «reality check», «become a reality».

Examples

• He created a reality out of nothing, called the nonentity into existence and hewed, as it were, colossal pillars from intangible air. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• This way of thinking about language imbues the Hebrew root itself with a certain metaphysical reality, an entity from which more concrete instantions of individual words may ontologically descend and ultimately crystallize into concrete speech or material reality. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →

Note

Mostly uncountable; countable for particular facts (harsh realities). Adjective: real; adverb: really. Myth: reality TV is not always what really happens; much of it is planned.