real life
7 synonyms and 6 antonyms for real life, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The world as it actually is, as opposed to fiction, theory, games or online space.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The world as it actually is, as opposed to fiction, theory, games or online space.
“It sounds neat on paper, but in real life nobody has that kind of time.”
Opposites
How to Use Real Life
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Neutral. Hyphenated before a noun (a real-life hero), two words after a verb or in the phrase in real life. Abbreviated IRL online.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does IRL mean?
IRL is the abbreviation of in real life, used online to mark a distinction between something that happened on the internet and something that happened offline — for example meeting a friend IRL after years of only chatting.
Is real life hyphenated?
Hyphenate it when it sits directly in front of the noun it describes: a real-life hero, real-life consequences. Leave it as two words elsewhere: it happened in real life.