Real has 19 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Adjective · Adverb · Proper Noun
any rational or irrational number
"The professor explained that every point on the coordinate plane corresponds to a real number, whether it is an integer like five or an irrational root like pi."
the basic unit of money in Brazil; equal to 100 centavos
"After the currency reform, she had to exchange her old coins because a real is now worth exactly one hundred centavos."
an old small silver Spanish coin
"The collector was thrilled to find a genuine real buried in the floorboards of his grandmother's old house."
A commodity; see realty.
"The history museum displayed an ancient coin labeled as a real to illustrate the monetary systems of early colonial Portuguese territories."
Former unit of currency of Spain and Spain's colonies.
A unit of currency used in Portugal and its colonies from 1430 until 1911, and in Brazil from 1790 until 1942.
In plain English: A real thing is something that actually exists and can be touched or seen, not just imagined.
"The real caught up in the moment forgot to check his watch."
Usage: Use "real" only when referring to the historical Portuguese or Brazilian currency; do not confuse it with the modern Brazilian unit (the real) which is capitalized as a proper noun, or with the adjective meaning genuine. This term appears frequently in economic history texts discussing colonial trade and inflation rates prior to 1942.
no less than what is stated; worthy of the name
"the real reason"
"real war"
"a real friend"
"a real woman"
"meat and potatoes--I call that a real meal"
"it's time he had a real job"
"it's no penny-ante job--he's making real money"
not to be taken lightly
"statistics demonstrate that poverty and unemployment are very real problems"
"to the man sleeping regularly in doorways homelessness is real"
of, relating to, or representing an amount that is corrected for inflation
"real prices"
"real income"
"real wages"
having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary
"the substantial world"
"a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"
"The wind was violent and felt substantial enough to lean against"
True, genuine, not merely nominal or apparent.
"The charity worker insisted that the money we raised was for a real cause and wouldn't be wasted on empty promises."
In plain English: Real means something is actually true and exists, not fake or imagined.
"I need to see your real ID before I can let you into the building."
Really, very.
"The real storm was just beginning to hit our town."
In plain English: Real means actually happening or existing in a way that is not fake or imagined.
"The movie was so scary that I really felt like I was in danger."
Real Madrid, a football club from Madrid.
"He bought tickets to see his favorite team, Real Madrid, play their next match in the capital city."
The word "real" comes from the Latin phrase for "actual," which is derived from a root meaning "thing" or "matter." This original sense of referring to tangible objects eventually evolved into its current meaning.