ACTUAL


Meaning of ACTUAL in English

ac ‧ tu ‧ al S1 W2 /ˈæktʃuəl/ BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]

[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: actuel , from Late Latin actualis , from Latin actus ; ⇨ ↑ ACT 1 ]

1 . used to emphasize that something is real or exact:

I’m not joking. Those were his actual words.

I know Germany won, but I can’t tell you the actual score.

Interest is only charged on the actual amount borrowed.

In actual fact (=really) , there is little evidence to support the allegations.

► Do not use actual to mean ‘at the present time’. Use current or present : the current (NOT actual) economic policy

2 . the actual something used to introduce the most important part of an event or activity:

The programme starts at 8.00 but the actual film doesn’t start until 8.30.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English.      Longman - Словарь современного английского языка.