Actual ˈæktʃuəl Cost Higher Expected Fact Adjective Bre

• what were his actual words?
• the actual cost was higher than we expected.
• james looks younger than his wife but in actual fact (= really) he is five years older.
• i need the actual figures, not an estimate.

actual

1. used to emphasize something that is real or exists in fact
• note at presently
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/presently
• What were his actual words?
• The actual cost was higher than we expected.
• James looks younger than his wife but in actual fact (= really) he is five years older.
• I need the actual figures, not an estimate.
• How long have you been in your present job?
• The factory cannot continue its current level of production.
2. used to emphasize the most important part of something
• The wedding preparations take weeks but the actual ceremony takes less than an hour.

Extra Examples

• The actual cost was much higher than we had expected.

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.