factual

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Based on real events or information that can be checked, rather than on opinion, guesswork, or invention.

   Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a factual report, the article is factual.

   Patterns

   • factual information
   • be factual about something

   The documentary gave a factual account of the flood.

   Please keep your report factual and leave out opinions.

   The textbook contains a few factual errors.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Dealing with real facts instead of imagined stories, as in books or programs.

   Grammar: Contrasts with fictional: factual writing.

   I prefer factual books about space to novels.

   The channel shows factual programs on wildlife.

   Her factual writing is clear and plain.

Word forms

Common combinations

factual error

The newspaper corrected a factual error.

factual accuracy

The editor checked every article for factual accuracy.

factual account

He gave a factual account of the accident.

purely factual

The statement was purely factual.

factual basis

The claim has no factual basis.

Synonyms and how they differ

accurate

Accurate describes something that is correct, while factual stresses being based on facts.

objective

Objective means free of personal bias, while factual means made of checkable facts.

true

True is the broadest word, whereas factual suggests supported by evidence.

Opposites

Word family

fact noun

something known to be true

factually adverb

in a way based on facts

factuality noun

the quality of being based on facts

nonfactual adjective

not based on facts

Commonly confused: factual or actual?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “factual”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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