verisimilitude

noun

veri·​si·​mil·​i·​tude ˌver-ə-sə-ˈmi-lə-ˌtüd How to pronounce verisimilitude (audio)
-ˌtyüd
1
: the quality or state of being verisimilar
2
: something verisimilar
verisimilitudinous
ˌver-ə-sə-ˌmi-lə-ˈtüd-nəs How to pronounce verisimilitude (audio)
-ˈtyüd-;
-ˈtü-də-nəs
-ˈtyü-
adjective

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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.

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 Together with production designer Judy Becker and costumer Kate Forbes, the DP shows an attentive eye for detail, conjuring the look of midcentury America with a period verisimilitude that feels alive, never frozen in amber. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2024 Over time, the shows evolved, moving toward a greater emphasis on verisimilitude. EW.com, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for verisimilitude 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of verisimilitude was circa 1576

Dictionary Entries Near verisimilitude

Cite this Entry

“Verisimilitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verisimilitude. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

verisimilitude

noun
veri·​si·​mil·​i·​tude ˌver-ə-sə-ˈmil-ə-ˌt(y)üd How to pronounce verisimilitude (audio)
: the appearance of being true or real

More from Merriam-Webster on verisimilitude

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