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actual

adj
/ˈækʃuəl/

Etymology

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.

  1. derived from *h₂éǵeti✻
  2. derived from actus — “act, action, performance”
  3. derived from actuālis — “active, practical”
  4. derived from actuel
  5. derived from actual

Definitions

  1. relating to a person's acts or deeds

    relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical

    • In this slumbry agitation, besides her walking, and other actuall performances, what (at any time) haue you heard her say?
    • Let your holy and pious intention be actual; that is […] by a special prayer or action, […] given to God.
    • 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

    Existing in reality, not just potentially; really acted or acting; occurring in fact.

    • the actual cost of goods; the actual case under discussion
    • The actual government expenses dramatically exceed the budget.

  3. in action at the time being

    in action at the time being; now existing; current.

    • To my actual feelings it seems incredible that I could ever believe that I believed in Transubstantiation!
  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. Used as intensifier to emphasise a following noun

      Used as intensifier to emphasise a following noun; exact, specific, very.

      • [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.

    2. an actual, real one

      an actual, real one; notably:

    3. Reality, usually with the definite article.

      • 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.

The neighborhood

Derived

actual bodily harm, actual cash value, actual cost, actual flying time, actualism, actualist, actualistic, actuality, actualization, actualize, actually, actual malice, actualness, actual neurosis, actual occasions, actual parameter, actual sin, nonactual, unactual

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at actual. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01actual02active03physical04nature05universe06exists07exist08reality

A definitional loop anchored at actual. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at actual

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA