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What Does IRL Mean?
IRL means "In Real Life."The abbreviation IRL is used with the meaning "In Real Life" to differentiate between the virtual world (i.e., the internet) and reality. It can also be used to differentiate between actors' characters and the actors themselves. For example:
- Tony: I now have 1000 Facebook friends!
- Jordan: All you need now is some friends IRL. (Here, IRL is used to differentiate between the online world and reality.)
- He seems such a lovely guy on screen, but he is a horrible person IRL. (Here, IRL is used to differentiate between an actress's character and the actress himself.)
Video Summarizing IRL
Here's a short video explaining how to use IRL:Image for IRL
When I write IRL, I mean this:
Summary of Key Points
"In Real Life" is the most common definition for IRL on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.IRL | |
---|---|
Definition: | In Real Life |
Type: | Abbreviation |
Guessability: | ![]() 4: Difficult to guess |
Typical Users: | ![]() Adults and Teenagers |
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An Academic Look at IRL
IRL is a prepositional phrase (the preposition is in), which is used as an adverb to establish the setting for the main clause. Compare the examples below:- In York, you can still legally shoot a Scotsman with a bow. (Here, the prepositional phrase In York is an adverb of place.)
- IRL, you'll be sent to prison. (Here, IRL is also an adverb of place but it serves like an adverb of concession, which is similar in meaning to In real life though.)
Example of IRL Used in a Text
IRL
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