actual
actual Lexical Profile
actual Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Existing in fact or reality; real and genuine rather than estimated, hypothetical, or intended.
"The actual cost of the renovation was much higher than the contractor's initial estimate."
Existing now; current or present.
"The committee reviewed the actual state of the economy before proposing new fiscal policies."
• noun
Real, measured financial figures, revenues, or expenditures (usually used in the plural), as opposed to budgeted or projected amounts.
"At the end of the quarter, the finance team compared the monthly actuals against the original budget forecast."
Word Nuance & Usage
Used strictly as an attributive adjective before a noun (e.g., "the actual cost"), never predicatively after a linking verb. It is also a common false friend for speakers of Romance and Germanic languages, where cognates like "actuel" or "actual" mean "current" rather than "real."
• Rhymes for actual
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 14th century from Old French "actuel," which derives from Late Latin "actualis" (active, practical), from Latin "actus" (an act or deed).