to keep it real
- phrasal verb
- Slang
- It's important to keep it real with your friends and always be honest with them.
- just keep it real
- try to keep it real
- let's keep it real
But we was just keeping it real and authentic and organic.
- But we was just keeping it real and authentic and organic.
- It's it's graft and to keep it real and believable day in, day out.
- So, you know, you want to keep it real.
- All right, So if let's just keep it real for a second.
- The best dollar spent just trying to keep it real with you guys.
- So, so if we're keeping it real here, we have two broken people.
- So I just felt that the whole idea to keep it real and keep it transparent.
- And you know, I try and, and keep it real.
- My mother was like a hen on the eggs, always keeping it real.
- All of them will keep it a buck, keep it real.
- Hello everyone, it is me, your girl Chelsea Fagan keeping it real.
- I really do hope the vibe of being authentic, being yourself and and just keeping it real came across.
- So OK, for this outfit, I you'll have to like just keep it real with me here guys.
- For people like me who had trouble breastfeeding both times because let's just keep it real, this can, this can persist.
- And let me keep it real though, because my bra strap just gave up on the right hand side.
- And instead of taking our wisdom from a turn of the century poem poem, let's keep it real.
Examples
-
Happiness is something you just can't fake, so let's keep it real and take a break.
-
Can you just keep it real with me, woman to woman?
Blog text (33) -
Thanks for keeping it real on the show and on here.
-
So, so if we're keeping it real here, we have two broken people.
-
- They loved that she kept it real.
-
You gotta keep it real.
-
Wow, you always keep it real, and that is what we need.
Blog text (2) -
I salute you for sticking it out there and keeping it real.
Blog text (18) -
Thanks for putting it into perspective for me and reminding me to 'keep it real.'
Blog text (2) -
The challenge with narcissistic relationships, whether you stay in them or whether you leave them, is that you've got to keep it real with yourself.
Synonyms
To act naturally and honestly without pretending to be someone else
To be completely honest and direct with someone
Antonyms
How Genuine
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from 'keep' (maintain) + 'real' (genuine), with 'it' functioning as a general pronoun referring to one's behavior or attitude; the phrase literally means 'maintain genuineness'. This construction follows a common 'keep + X + adjective' pattern (e.g. 'keep it simple') that is cross-linguistically plausible, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Keep it real uses a simple image: to keep something is to hold or protect it, and real means true or honest. It comes from music and street talk where people told each other to stay genuine, so today it means 'to remain honest and true to yourself'.