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

Kuk and especially Kodelja shine with naturalistic charm in this delicate two-hander, their easy chemistry making credible the rapport between Maruša’s grungy cynic and Alja’s snuggie-wearing neurotic. — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026

There’s enough footage from the prior films to get you up to speed quickly, and none of the individual story arcs matter nearly as much as the larger sense that each season of human life is worthy of its own naturalistic exploration. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026

Back-to-Nature Garden When an ash tree fell and opened up an area, Erin decided to plant a naturalistic-style garden inspired by a trip to Lurie Garden in nearby Chicago. — Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 12 Aug. 2026

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

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