naturalistic

adjective

nat·​u·​ral·​is·​tic ˌna-ch(ə-)rə-ˈli-stik 

variants or less commonly naturalist

ˈna-ch(ə-)rə-list 

: of, characterized by, or according with naturalism

naturalistically

ˌna-ch(ə-)rə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms of naturalistic

• realistic
• living
• natural
• lifelike
• three-dimensional

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

Rubin sets the tone with a lead turn that’s perky but not quirky, expansively emotional but not mopey, and the rest of the cast similarly pitch their performances somewhere just north of naturalistic but south of soapy. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2026

The lighting is somewhere between fantasy and noir, all moody shadows and otherworldly mists, precise and in no way naturalistic. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 July 2026

For as dutifully naturalistic as the setups are, the film occasionally takes on the feel of a stage play, where its latticework of accents, syntaxes, and acting styles are allowed to accentuate something other than strict verisimilitude. — Paul A. Thompson, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026

The traditional Marxist framework may explain why Flaubert, the conflicted son of a successful provincial surgeon, wrote naturalistic novels mocking the grandiose aspirations of the rural bourgeoisie, Sartre conceded. — Literary Hub, 21 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for naturalistic

• anachronistic
• animalistic
• antagonistic
• antiphlogistic
• behavioristic
• cannibalistic
• capitalistic
• characteristic
• collectivistic
• deterministic
• ethnolinguistic
• expressionistic