fact of life


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

fact of life

Something unpleasant that must be accepted because it cannot be changed. Gloomy, rainy days are just a fact of life for the British. Death is a fact of life.
See also: fact, life, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

facts of life

Knowledge of sexual reproduction, as in Some people feel that the facts of life should not be taught in school. [Late 1800s] Also see birds and the bees.
See also: fact, life, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a fact of life

COMMON If you say that something is a fact of life, you mean that it is something that often happens and cannot be avoided, even if it is unpleasant. It is a fact of life that parents want their children to marry and have their own children. Falling prices have been a fact of life in the housing market.
See also: fact, life, of
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

a fact of life

something that must be accepted and cannot be changed, however unpalatable.
See also: fact, life, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

a ˌfact of ˈlife

something difficult or unpleasant that cannot be changed and has to be accepted or dealt with: Taxes are a fact of life. You just have to pay them. ♢ It is a fact of life that some people are born more intelligent than others.
See also: fact, life, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

facts of life

1. n. an explanation of human reproduction, especially as presented to a child. No one ever explained the facts of life to me. I read books about it.
2. n. the truth about life’s difficulties. You had better face up to the facts of life and get a job.
See also: fact, life, of
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also:
References in periodicals archive ?
Another sad fact of life is that there are more impersonators of the King in his fat, tight-fitting-jumpsuit days than in his prime, when he made all those films with no plot lines.
RESULT!: All shook up over record attempt; IN ASSOCIATION WITH betfair.com
Paul Hamblin, CPRE's head of transport policy, said: "So often you hear that car use is a fact of life in the countryside.
Traffic on the rise in country
Injuries are a fact of life. Yet the culture often makes you feel guilty, as if you're somehow to blame, while leaving you out in the cold.
ADVICE FOR DANCERS
White-Collar redundancy has become such a fact of life over this decade that it has lost much of its sting.
Bounce back to work
In an initial analysis of results, the McKinlays report that depression in menopausal women, long regarded as a fact of life, is due not to the physiological change but to other causes.
Life change: what do women want?
IT'S a sad fact of life today that nothing is sacred.
A look at Bridgend: There will always be thieves like these
The Asset Covered Security Bill 2001 has the aim of allowing Irish financial institutions to compete more effectively against European competition after the euro currency becomes a fact of life in Ireland at the start of 2002 - just a few weeks away.
SUZY in the CITY IN DUBLIN: Euro home loans planned
"Separation was a fact of life but always very difficult, " he said in an interview marking his departure from the Royal Navy after 22 years.
Duke's navy duty
Creating an even floor was the lesser task, but locating a suitable and durable floor still eludes producer Rebecca Weller, who finds patching its current polypropylene surface a fact of life.
Footloose Under the Stars at Lincoln Center
Competition is a fact of life in business, especially in the fast pace of change driven by today's technological advances.
Professional designators provide advantage over competition
"DNA damage is an ongoing fact of life,' Pryor says.
Radical dangers up in smoke
Late-night shopping is a fact of life in many European cities and across North America, but in Cardiff the shutters go up early, apart from on a Thursday and in the run-up to Christmas.
c: Late in the day for shops move; Echo comment The Voice of South Wales since 1884
Attempting to enforce such a mandate would create a political environment not unlike Prohibition, where violations would become second nature and an accepted fact of life.
ABLI urges comprehensive review of fire codes
"Competition is a fact of life in dance," says Linda Hamilton, a clinical psychologist with a practice that focuses on performers.
Auditions
It's a harsh fact of life that I'm keeping a shirt warm for a British Lion."
Rugby Union: Taylor Knows He's Got A Part-Time Job
Idioms browser ?
Full browser ?