actual

Actual is an English adjective meaning existing in fact, real, or true, as opposed to potential, supposed, or hypothetical. It emphasizes reality or authenticity rather than appearance or theory. It can modify nouns such as actual owner, actual results, or actual circumstances to distinguish what exists in fact from what is assumed or planned. The word is often used to mark contrast with something that is merely possible, provisional, or speculative.

Etymology and classification: Actual traces to Latin actualis, meaning “pertaining to action,” from actus, meaning “a doing or act.” It entered English via Old French and Middle English. The sense of concreteness and factuality has remained central in its usage.

Usage notes: In everyday language, actual and real can be interchangeable in many contexts, but actual frequently carries a sense of contrast with theory, expectation, or projection. Some style guides discourage the expression “in actual fact” as redundant, since actual already conveys reality. Nevertheless, it remains common in spoken and written English, especially when stressing the shift from assumption to verified reality, as in “the actual results differed from the forecast.”

Specialized sense: In accounting and budgeting, actuals refers to realized figures recorded after the fact, such as actual costs, revenues, or hours. These figures are compared with budgets or forecasts to assess performance and variance. In other contexts, “the actual” can be used more narrowly to denote the true item or event rather than an approximation or label.