verisimilitude

noun

veri·​si·​mil·​i·​tude ˌver-ə-sə-ˈmi-lə-ˌtüd 

-ˌtyüd

1

: the quality or state of being verisimilar

2

: something verisimilar

verisimilitudinous

ˌver-ə-sə-ˌmi-lə-ˈtüd-nəs 

-ˈtyüd-;

-ˈtü-də-nəs, 

-ˈtyü-

adjective

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of verisimilitude

• realism

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

Working in charcoal and conté crayon two days a week for an entire year—600 hours—the young student achieved a remarkable level of photographic verisimilitude in the still life. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026

La Gradiva’s seamless verisimilitude is a testament both to Atlan’s authority behind the camera and to the extensive research that went into the script — a portrait of adolescence ringing at once bracingly of the moment and achingly timeless. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

American coming-of-age comedies rarely beat with such uncomfortable verisimilitude. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 5 Aug. 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

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin vērīsimilitūdō, from vērī similis, vērīsimilis "having the appearance of truth" + -tūdō, suffix of abstract nouns — more at verisimilar

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for verisimilitude

• accrued
• allude
• collude
• conclude
• construed
• debuted
• delude
• elude
• endued
• ensued
• eschewed
• etude

Kids Definition

verisimilitude

noun

veri·​si·​mil·​i·​tude ˌver-ə-sə-ˈmil-ə-ˌt(y)üd 

: the appearance of being true or real