realweltlichen

Realweltlich is a German adjective meaning "pertaining to the real world" and is used to distinguish phenomena, conditions, or conclusions that exist in the actual world from those that are hypothetical, abstract, or virtual. In English-language scholarship the equivalent is commonly expressed as "real-world" or "real-world-based."

Grammatically, realweltlich has standard German inflections: realweltlich (base form) and adjectives ending in -er, -es, -e, or -en depending on gender, number, and case. When used as a noun, it appears capitalized as das Realweltliche (the real-world aspect) or, in the plural, die Realweltlichen (the real-world aspects).

Usage is common in sociology, information science, technology, and philosophy, where the term marks a contrast with lab experiments, simulations, or theoretical models. Examples include realweltliche Anwendungen (real-world applications), realweltliche Daten (real-world data), and realweltliche Bedingungen (real-world conditions).

Etymology and related terms: Realweltlich derives from Realwelt, the compound "real world," with the adjectival suffix -lich. The noun Realweltlichkeit expresses the quality of being real-world or the real-world-ness of a phenomenon. Related concepts include theoretisch (theoretical) and praktisch (practical), and the English equivalents real-world and real-worldness.