factual

English

Etymology

From fact +‎ -ual, modeled after, and by analogy with, actual.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfæk.tʃ(u)əl/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfæk.(t)ʃ(ʊ)əl/
  • (dated, Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfæk.tj(ʊ)əl/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈfɛk.(t)ʃ(ʉː)əl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æktʃuəl, -æktʃəl, -ækʃuəl, -ækʃəl

Adjective

factual (comparative more factual, superlative most factual)

1. Pertaining to or consisting of objective claims.
   • 2001 September 27, Terrie E. Moffitt, Avshalom Caspi, Michael Rutter, Phil A. Silva, Sex Differences in Antisocial Behaviour: Conduct Disorder, Delinquency, and Violence in the Dunedin Longitudinal Study‎^[1], Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 151:

     This hypothesis goes by many names, including group resistence, the threshold effect, and the gender paradox. Because the hypothesis holds such wide appeal, it is worth revisiting the logic behind it. The hypothesis is built on the factual observation that fewer females than males act antisocially.

   • 2012, D.C. Kline, Dominion and Wealth: A Critical Analysis of Karl Marx’ Theory of Commercial Law, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 34:

     If, as Marx claimed, these factual views were held by the ideologists of the nineteenth century and if these factual claims could be proven false, then Marx could claim to have refuted certain tenets of capitalist political philosophy on a purely  […]

   • 2014, Derek Matravers, Fiction and Narrative, OUP Oxford, →ISBN:

     Thus, the approach has more flexibility than Lamarque and Olsen's approach; in particular, it is open to the possibility that false factual claims do affect our understanding of, and our evaluation of, fictional narratives.

2. True, accurate, corresponding to reality.
   • 2007, Robin Parrish, Fearless, Bethany House Pub, →ISBN:

     He knew Guardian's real name. Did he dare play that card? "Yes ma'am, that's factual information. All of it."

Derived terms

• antifactual
• contrafactual
• counterfactual
• extra-factual
• factualism
• factualist
• factuality
• factualize
• factually
• factualness
• factual relativism
• multifactual
• nonfactual
• non-factual
• post-factual
• prefactual
• semifactual
• transfactual
• unfactual

Related terms

• counterfactual
• de facto
• fact

Collocations

Collocations

• factual information
• factual basis
• factual account
• factual evidence
• factual errors
• factual details
• factual knowledge
• factual data
• factual situation
• factual material
• factual findings
• factual issues
• factual allegations
• factual statement
• factual account
• factual accuracy

Translations

of facts

• Bulgarian: факти́чески (bg) (faktíčeski), действи́телен (bg) (dejstvítelen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 事實 / 事实 (zh) (shìshí)

• Czech: faktický (cs)
• Danish: faktuel
• Dutch: feitelijk (nl)
• Finnish: todellinen (fi), tosiasioihin perustuva, tosiasiallinen (fi), asiapitoinen
• French: effectif (fr), factuel (fr)
• Georgian: ფაქტიური (pakṭiuri)
• German: faktisch (de), sachlich (de), auf Tatsachen beruhend
• Gothic: 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌹𐍃 (sunjis)
• Greek: πραγματικός (el) (pragmatikós)

  Ancient: πραγματικός (pragmatikós)

• Hindi: वास्तविक (hi) (vāstavik)
• Hungarian: tényszerű (hu)
• Italian: effettivo (it), fattuale, concreto (it), reale (it)
• Japanese: 事実上の (ja) (じじつじょう, jijitsujō no)
• Korean: 사실(事實)의 (sasir-ui)
• Kyrgyz: фактыларга негизделген (ky) (faktılarga negizdelgen), чыныгы (ky) (cınıgı), актуалдуу (ky) (aktualduu)
• Occitan: factual (oc), factuau
• Polish: faktyczny (pl)
• Portuguese: factual (pt) (Portugal), fatual (Brazil)
• Romanian: efectiv (ro), faptic (ro)
• Russian: факти́ческий (ru) (faktíčeskij), действи́тельный (ru) (dejstvítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: efectivo (es), fáctico, factual (es)
• Swahili: ukweli (sw)
• Swedish: faktamässig (sv), faktuell
• Turkish: somut (tr) n
• Yiddish: פֿאַקטיש (faktish)

Further reading

• “factual”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “factual”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Noun

factual (uncountable)

1. (broadcasting) Programmes having content based on facts, such as documentaries.

   The BBC is increasing its budget for factual this year.

Anagrams

• caul fat

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• fatual (Brazil)

Etymology

From facto +‎ -ual.

Pronunciation

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɐˈktwal/ [fɐˈktwaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɐˈktwal/ [fɐˈktwaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɐˈktwa.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: fac‧tu‧al

Adjective

factual m or f (plural factuais)

1. factual (consisting of facts)

Derived terms

• factualmente

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French factuel.

Adjective

factual m or n (feminine singular factuală, masculine plural factuali, feminine and neuter plural factuale)

1. factual

Declension

Declension of factual

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	factual		factuală		factuali	factuale
	definite	factualul		factuala		factualii	factualele
genitive- dative	indefinite	factual		factuale		factuali	factuale
	definite	factualului		factualei		factualilor	factualelor

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /faɡˈtwal/ [faɣ̞ˈt̪wal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: fac‧tual

Adjective

factual m or f (masculine and feminine plural factuales)

1. factual

   Synonym: fáctico

Derived terms

• factualmente

Further reading

• “factual”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10