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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 In the 1950s, a film crew using the rocks as a stand-in for Red Rock Canyon in Nevada painted them red for vermilion verisimilitude. — Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2022 But there are larger issues with the film’s verisimilitude. — Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 25 Apr. 2022 When the cameras weren’t rolling, Faist lent further verisimilitude to the production by embracing a leadership role of sorts among the actors playing the Jets. — Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2021 Stunning verisimilitude melds each stylish strand, gleaming in the light, with the sitter’s authority of being one of the few able to afford a painting’s commission. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2021 The Blaxploitation hits of the ’70s tended to value badass posturing over verisimilitude, but even some of those laid more careful groundwork for their action than Alice does. — John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2022 For one, their lead actor Davenport is also visually impaired, which adds a certain verisimilitude. — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2022 In a series punctuated by great moments for Jeremy Strong, this is a highlight, speaking to another crucial element of Kendall’s great allure: strong himself, with his deep verisimilitude and wide-ranging, complex emotionality. — Jack King, Vulture, 3 Dec. 2021 Coppola insisted on verisimilitude, even overseeing the color, quality and trajectory of the blood in the gory, unsettling scenes of gangland executions. — Washington Post, 23 Dec. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'verisimilitude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Verisimilitude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verisimilitude. Accessed 23 May. 2022.

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