Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Appearing to be true or real; probable.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Having the appearance of truth; probable; likely.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Having the appearance of truth; probable; likely.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Appearing to be true or real; probable; likely.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective appearing to be true or real

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin vērīsimilis : vērī, genitive of vērum, truth (from neuter sing. of vērus, true; see wērə-o- in Indo-European roots) + similis, similar; see similar.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin vērisimilis, prop. vērī similis ("having the appearance of truth"), from vērī, genitive of vērus ("true") + similis ("like, similar"); see very and similar.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word verisimilar.

Examples

  • But the ridiculous must no longer come forward as the pure creation of his own fancy, but must be verisimilar, that is, seem to be real.

    Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature August Wilhelm Schlegel 1806

  • Occasionally he draws attention to the formal properties underlying those verisimilar effects—and those sections are by far my favorite parts of his book.

    Knocking Wood 2010

  • First comes the long, learned or at least verisimilar discourse on the virtue of one item versus another, followed by effusive congratulations on the discernment and taste evident in the customer's choice.

    The Charms and Trials of Italian Shopping Francis X. Rocca 2010

  • And mostly he proceeds to write about the verisimilar power of fiction, which he ranks of supreme importance.

    Knocking Wood 2010

  • There might be some handful of radical formalists who argue that fiction contains no verisimilar power, and a few radical realists who claim that fiction is not artifice, but does anyone take such critics and views seriously?

    Knocking Wood 2010

  • Modern writers of fiction seem to be more attracted to realistic biblical characters, involved in verisimilar situations.

    Biblical Women in World and Hebrew Literature. 2009

  • In science fiction there can be no inexplicable marvels, no transcendence, no devils or demons -- and the patterns of occurrence must be verisimilar.

    SF Considered As A Subset Of SF Hal Duncan 2005

  • In science fiction there can be no inexplicable marvels, no transcendence, no devils or demons -- and the patterns of occurrence must be verisimilar.

    Archive 2005-12-01 Hal Duncan 2005

  • It's virtually impossible for me not to characterize what I do in realist terms, because what I am doing in describing the whole topology of historical evidences is nothing other than developing a more verisimilar account.

    Wherein I Jump Naked into a Boiling Cauldron of Debate 2005

  • It's virtually impossible for me not to characterize what I do in realist terms, because what I am doing in describing the whole topology of historical evidences is nothing other than developing a more verisimilar account.

    Archive 2005-02-01 2005

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Nice word, but sounds very unnatural and awkward when I attempt to use it. I often just end up deferring to "probable" or "likely"...

    February 8, 2013