Definition of IRL

This is an abbreviation for the phrase In Real Life and it is used to distinguish the digital world (crypto, games, social media) from the real world.

IRL used in a sentence

“I only know him through social media, we have never met IRL.”

“Those photo’s on his Instagram profile are not realistic, he is way fatter IRL.”

History of the term “IRL.”

The phrase IRL emerged in the early days of the Internet when people saw a need to distinguish things that were happening online from things that were happening offline. As people found ways to present an alternate picture of themselves online, irl became a shorthand for distinguishing between how things appear online and how they are in reality.