reality check

noun

: something that clarifies or serves as a reminder of reality often by correcting a misconception

Examples of reality check in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Collecting Accurate, Effective Workflow Records Turning a simple workflow capture into a gold-standard SOP requires a few steps, of course, including a reality check. — K.h. Koehler, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 Today’s astro-weather could feel like a harsh reality check, considering Venus’ tricky opposition to Saturn retrograde, putting everything from money and relationships to pleasure and personal expectations in a less flattering light. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026 Don't expect solar ambulances at your hospital yet There is one important reality check. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2026 Teirab, a former Marine and a Harvard Law graduate who’d run unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican, responded with a blunt reality check. — Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for reality check

Word History

First Known Use

1960, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reality check was in 1960

Rhymes for reality check

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Browse Nearby Words

reality
reality check
realizability
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Cite this Entry

“Reality check.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reality%20check. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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