What does actualist mean?
An actualist is an adherent of actualism, a position most prominent in metaphysics and modal logic. The core claim is that reality consists solely of what actually exists: merely possible objects, unrealized futures, and fictional entities do not enjoy genuine existence, however useful it may be to talk about them. Actualists thus stand opposed to possibilists and to modal realists such as David Lewis, who famously argued that possible worlds are just as real as the actual one. Beyond this technical sense, the word can describe someone oriented toward facts and present realities rather than speculation or idealized possibilities. The term derives from 'actual', rooted in the Latin 'actus' meaning 'a doing' or 'deed'. Because it is largely confined to philosophical discourse, readers will most often encounter it in academic texts, where it signals a commitment to treating the actual world as the whole of reality.
nounA person who adheres to or advocates actualism; in philosophy, one who holds that only actually existing things are real, denying that merely possible or past/future entities have genuine existence.
- A follower or advocate of actualism, especially the metaphysical view that only actually existing things are real.
- More generally, a person concerned with facts and actual conditions rather than possibilities or ideals.
"As a strict actualist, she argued that talk of 'possible worlds' is a useful fiction rather than a description of real entities."
"The actualist rejected David Lewis's claim that possible worlds are as real as our own."
"A practical actualist, he preferred to plan around what was demonstrably true rather than what might happen."
Standard regular plural; used when referring to multiple philosophers or advocates holding the actualist position.
"Most actualists agree that merely possible objects lack genuine existence."
In a debate about whether fictional characters like Sherlock Holmes truly exist, the actualist is the philosopher firmly saying no — only what's actual counts as real.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of actualist
The word actualist combines 'actual', from the Latin 'actus' ('a doing, a deed'), the past participle stem of 'agere' ('to do, to drive'), with the agentive suffix '-ist', borrowed via French and Latin '-ista' from Greek '-istes'. It arose in modern philosophical English alongside its sibling term 'actualism', as debates over modality intensified in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Cognates sharing the Latin root include 'act', 'active', and 'activate'.
Related word forms
How actualist is actually used
Predominantly a technical term of academic philosophy, especially in metaphysics and modal logic; outside scholarly writing it appears rarely and may need explanation for general readers.
Easily confused with actualist
An activist campaigns for social or political change, whereas an actualist holds a philosophical doctrine about what exists.