verisimilitude

noun

veri·​si·​mil·​i·​tude ˌver-ə-sə-ˈmi-lə-ˌtüd 

-ˌtyüd

1

: the quality or state of being verisimilar

2

: something verisimilar

verisimilitudinous

ˌver-ə-sə-ˌmi-lə-ˈtüd-nəs 

-ˈtyüd-;

-ˈtü-də-nəs

-ˈtyü-

adjective

Did you know?

From its roots, verisimilitude means basically "similarity to the truth". Most fiction writers and filmmakers aim at some kind of verisimilitude to give their stories an air of reality. They need not show something actually true, or even very common, but simply something believable. A mass of good details in a play, novel, painting, or film may add verisimilitude. A spy novel without some verisimilitude won't interest many readers, but a fantastical novel may not even attempt to seem true to life.

Synonyms

• literalism
• naturalism
• realism
• representationalism
• verismo

Examples of verisimilitude in a Sentence

the novel's degree of verisimilitude is compromised by 18th-century characters who speak in very 21st-century English

Recent Examples on the Web

And there are times when breaking verisimilitude can be an effective storytelling technique. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

For as well as Challengers does with verisimilitude up until this point, Guadagnino cheerfully throws realism out of the window here. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024

Tommy speaks fluent Spanish, which gave his dialogue with the van full of Mexican illegals a wonderful verisimilitude. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 30 Sep. 2024

More than a bit inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone, The Orphanage weaves a similarly melancholy and thematically rich haunted house tale that calls on the country’s complicated past to inflect its plot with verisimilitude. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 15 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin vērīsimilitūdō, from vērī similis, vērīsimilis "having the appearance of truth" + -tūdō, suffix of abstract nouns — more at verisimilar

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

verisimilitude

noun

veri·​si·​mil·​i·​tude ˌver-ə-sə-ˈmil-ə-ˌt(y)üd 

: the appearance of being true or real