naturalistic
adjective
nat·u·ral·is·tic
ˌna-ch(ə-)rə-ˈli-stik 
variants
or less commonly naturalist
: of, characterized by, or according with naturalism
Synonyms
Examples of naturalistic in a Sentence
The zoo strives to create naturalistic settings for the animals.
the movie's volcanic eruption is so naturalistic that it's easy to forget that it all came out of a computer
Recent Examples on the Web
Like for his other films — eight features and nearly as many shorts — the director creates his own unique tone, combining stark naturalistic performances reminiscent of Robert Bresson with the macabre humor and underlying suspense of Hitchcock.
—
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024
The in-character conversation feels naturalistic and unscripted, guided by Minervini’s desire to explore earlier forms of the tensions and beliefs that shape American identity.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 May 2024
Lopez gives a layered and naturalistic performance as Mariana and Perez provides the show’s comic relief as Henry.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024
As theater, a core strength of this production comes from director Sara Guerrero and actors Marta Portillo (Alma) and Heather Lee Echeverria (Angel) in bonding the two performances in a naturalistic way, the characters feeling completely inhabited and fully realized.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 13 May 2024
The movie’s impulses, toward naturalistic observation on the one hand and folkloric archetype on the other, don’t fight each other.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
His despair is frenetic, ever-palpable thanks to Harper’s naturalistic performance.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
From there, Bolton says one morning in the museum, rushing around with growing excitement, the exhibition blooms into its naturalistic themes.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
And that’s a third factor: CG animation has become both affordable and convincing enough to portray more naturalistic pets.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 May 2024
The in-character conversation feels naturalistic and unscripted, guided by Minervini’s desire to explore earlier forms of the tensions and beliefs that shape American identity.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 May 2024
Lopez gives a layered and naturalistic performance as Mariana and Perez provides the show’s comic relief as Henry.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024
As theater, a core strength of this production comes from director Sara Guerrero and actors Marta Portillo (Alma) and Heather Lee Echeverria (Angel) in bonding the two performances in a naturalistic way, the characters feeling completely inhabited and fully realized.
—Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 13 May 2024
The movie’s impulses, toward naturalistic observation on the one hand and folkloric archetype on the other, don’t fight each other.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 3 May 2024
His despair is frenetic, ever-palpable thanks to Harper’s naturalistic performance.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2024
From there, Bolton says one morning in the museum, rushing around with growing excitement, the exhibition blooms into its naturalistic themes.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
And that’s a third factor: CG animation has become both affordable and convincing enough to portray more naturalistic pets.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'naturalistic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near naturalistic
Cite this Entry
“Naturalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naturalistic. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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