naturalistic

adjective

nat·​u·​ral·​is·​tic ˌna-ch(ə-)rə-ˈli-stik How to pronounce naturalistic (audio)
variants or less commonly naturalist
: of, characterized by, or according with naturalism
naturalistically adverb

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 The former stretches to almost 30 feet long with a polished marble fireplace, and the latter is swaddled in rich, emerald-green wallpaper that depicts a naturalistic scene of trees and flowers in the early bloom of spring. Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Feb. 2024 Featuring an impressively naturalistic turn from Beharie — who earned multiple critics' award notices for her work — Miss Juneteenth is a loving yet realistic tribute to finding one's path despite the roadblocks that inevitably pop up along the way. Kevin Jacobsen and Sammi Burke, EW.com, 17 Nov. 2023 Greif’s staging, which grows more naturalistic as the pair careens off the rails, attempts its own kind of seduction. Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024 Tom Scutt’s costumes are plausible Carhartt-ish evocations of today’s border country denizens; Guy Hoare’s lighting veers wildly, naturalistic to stark to frantic. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2024 The piece’s cultural satire and complex critique of racial stereotyping take a back seat to the actor’s naturalistic, full-fleshed performance of what could have been just another prickly prof. Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024 The penultimate episode, in which the full dimensions of Philby’s downfall became apparent, was — like the entire series — a clinic in naturalistic acting by Lewis, Pearce and their co-star Anna Maxwell Martin. Margaret Lyons, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2023 Documentary Film Festival, is as naturalistic and down to earth as its subject. Will Tizard, Variety, 24 Oct. 2023 This period also taught Leung some valuable lessons in naturalistic acting, something that he is renowned for today. Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Oct. 2023

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.

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of naturalistic was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near naturalistic

Cite this Entry

“Naturalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/naturalistic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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