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

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

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

Raina Weber, a global landscape artist, led the naturalistic design. —Ginger Perra, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2025

McGovern, meanwhile, may have launched her film career as a naturalistic ingénue in Ordinary People and Ragtime, but lately, she’s become associated with the period starch of Downton Abbey. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025

There’s also an indoor pool, a full gym, a kitchen garden, and even a helicopter shed among the pastoral, naturalistic landscape. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 July 2025

Brie is a wizard of timing and naturalistic cadence, and the film’s strategic introduction to their characters works like a flop-sweat charm. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 31 July 2025

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