Real life is an actual event or life lived by real people, contrasted to that lived by fiction or fantasy characters, or real people interacting on the Internet.
Usage online and in fiction
On the Internet, "real life" refers to life in the real world. It generally references life or consensus reality, in contrast to an environment seen as fiction or fantasy, such as virtual reality, lifelike experience, dreams, novels, or movies. Online, the acronym "IRL" stands for "in real life", with the meaning "not on the Internet".
When used to distinguish from fictional worlds or universes aga...