actual

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But if “you see men in sweatpants smoking cigarettes, hanging with their boys, lifting weights in the yard, riding children’s bicycles as their actual transportation, then you are in danger.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

While Patchett has clearly drawn on actual events and individuals to produce this luminous work, she exhibits the expert novelist’s knack for following a plot where the imagination takes it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

College graduates tend to dramatically overestimate their starting salaries, with studies showing that students expect to earn $80,000 to $100,000, while the actual starting salary is around $56,000.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026

Then the Supreme Court spanked them for it and said: How dare you keep applying actual law?

From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026

“I know he’s my actual uncle, but why can’t he stay where the other strays do?”

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith