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There is an expression "in the realm of ...".

What does it mean exactly, and in what cases it is used?

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closed as general reference by aedia λ, Mr. Shiny and New 安宇, Hugo, simchona♦, kiamlaluno Nov 10 '11 at 12:33

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

3 Answers

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realm

  1. A community or territory over which a sovereign rules; a kingdom.

  2. A field, sphere, or province: the realm of science.

Knowing this, the phrase in the realm of is pretty straightforward. Although I should mention, that it is often used in metaphorical sense, as in in the realm of dreams, meaning in the area, where the dreams rule.

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This reference here defines realm to mean...

1. a royal domain; kingdom: the realm of England. 2. the region, sphere, or domain within which anything occurs, prevails, or dominates: the realm of dreams. 3. the special province or field of something or someone: the realm of physics; facts within the realm of political scientists.

so in the realm of would mean "in the kingdom of (some monarch)", "in the region of" or "in the field of".

I've also heard it used to mean "approximately" as in the realm of £1,000, but I don't think that's quite right.

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Like you, I feel that in the realm of [some value] isn't quite right. Clearly arrived at via your own paraphrasing "in the region of [some context]", but I just can't put my finger on exactly why it seems like a stretch too far. – FumbleFingers Nov 9 '11 at 14:25
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The way I hear this word most often is for exaggeration, especially when used in the negative. So I might say that an object is not even in the realm of $1000 or that something is not even in the realm of possibility. The reason this works with exaggeration is that realm conveys a large area. It also sounds so definite.

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