re ‧ al ‧ i ‧ ty S2 W2 /riˈæləti, riˈælɪti/ BrE AmE noun ( plural realities )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ realism , ↑ realist , ↑ reality , ↑ unreality , ↑ realization ; adverb : ↑ real , ↑ really , ↑ realistically ≠ ↑ unrealistically ; adjective : ↑ real , ↑ unreal , ↑ realistic ≠ ↑ unrealistic ; verb : ↑ realize ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] what actually happens or is true, not what is imagined or thought:
the distinction between fantasy and reality
TV is used as an escape from reality.
I think the government has lost touch with reality (=no longer understands what is real or true) .
political realities
harsh/grim/stark reality
Millions of people live with the harsh realities of unemployment.
the reality is that
The reality is that young people will not go into teaching until salaries are higher.
The paperless office may one day become a reality.
2 . in reality used to say that something is different from what people think:
In reality, violent crimes are still extremely rare.
3 . [uncountable] the fact that something exists or is happening:
She had never accepted the reality of her pregnancy.
⇨ ↑ virtual reality
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ the harsh/grim/stark reality (=conditions that are really very bad)
We want to protect our children from the harsh reality of our violent world.
▪ political/social/economic realities
He's ignoring political realities.
■ verbs
▪ face reality (=accept it)
It's painful, but you have to face reality.
▪ confront a reality (=consider or deal with it)
They had to confront some unpleasant realities about themselves.
▪ ignore a reality
They are ignoring the reality of Arab politics.
▪ wake up to reality (=realize what is happening or real)
Well, they need to wake up to reality.
▪ lose touch with reality (=no longer know about ordinary things or what is possible)
If all you have is the show-business world, you kind of lose touch with reality.
▪ escape from reality
The programmes help viewers escape from reality.
▪ bring somebody back to reality (=make them realize what is happening around them or true)
She was brought back to reality by the pain in her ankle.
▪ become a reality (=really happen, after being hoped for, feared, etc by someone)
Last June, her longed-for baby finally became a reality.
▪ reflect reality (=match or show what is really happening or true)
Do these novels accurately reflect contemporary reality?
▪ bear no relation to reality (=not match what is really happening or true)
His vision of European politics bears no relation to reality.
▪ be divorced from reality (=not connected in any way to what is really happening)
His ideas are completely divorced from reality.
■ phrases
▪ a dose of reality (=an experience of what things are really like)
I got my first dose of reality when I reported to work at my new job.
▪ somebody's grasp of reality (=their understanding of reality)
They portrayed her as a sick woman with only a tenuous grasp of reality.