Actual ˈæktʃuəl Fact Adjective James Younger Wife Years

• james looks younger than his wife but in actual fact (= really) he is five years older.
• the actual cost was higher than we expected.
• the actual number of unemployed is more than 15 million.
• what were his actual words?

actual

1. used to emphasize something that is real or exists in fact
• NOTE AT presently
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/presently#presently_topg_1
• James looks younger than his wife but in actual fact (= really) he is five years older.
• The actual cost was higher than we expected.
• The actual number of unemployed is more than 15 million.
• What were his actual words?
• A variety of factors could cause our actual results to differ from the expected results.
• The story of the film is based on actual events and people.
2. used to emphasize the most important part of something
• The rehearsal was fabulous, the actual performance even better.
• The wedding preparations take weeks but the actual ceremony takes less than an hour.

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old French actuel ‘active, practical’, from late Latin actualis, from actus ‘event, thing done’, act- ‘done’, from the verb agere, reinforced by the French noun acte.