realization

American  

[ree-uh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌri ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

• realizations
  plural

1. the making or being made real of something imagined, planned, etc.

2. the result of such a process.

   The new church was the realization of a ten-year dream.

3. the act of realizing or the state of being realized.

4. an instance or result of realizing.

5. Music.

   1. the act of realizing a figured bass.

   2. a printed score of a realized figured bass.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrealization
  noun
• prerealization
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• realizations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of realization

First recorded in 1605–15; from French réalisation; equivalent to realize + -ation

Explanation

A realization is the act of becoming completely aware of something. Many children who walk into a circus tent for the first time are struck with the realization that clowns are terrifying. A realization is a gradual or sudden understanding or comprehension of something. Another way to use the word realization is to mean the fulfillment of something that was previously only imagined, like the realization of your dream of becoming a pastry chef, or the realization on stage of the play you scribbled on napkins and scraps of paper. Realization grew out of the French réaliser, "to make real."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

realization realizations

Some bands with a four-decade career would be disappointed by the turnout, or by the realization that many fans not wearing Maiden shirts are dressed in Megadeth merch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

By the afternoon, as fans struggled to make sense of Oregon’s loss, Woodin’s realization was spreading across social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Watching them slowly come to that realization is what makes “United 93” so devastating.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The experience of unpacking history often makes things feel more real, but this particular realization was simply uncomfortable.

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026

Then he did those three movements again, and again, and a realization peppered Anya like falling tree leaves.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Upstream price realizations were ahead of expectations and downstream operations were also strong, according to JPM.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

One of the family’s first realizations is that they can’t build their little house alone.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Private-market vehicles assume regular realizations of unlisted share investments and repayment of private loans, which have slowed due to the lack of exits or losses.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Such realizations are familiar in the community: You can miss out on something satisfying simply because it doesn’t match your predefined tastes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

Still, of their own accord — mysteriously! — certain realizations emerged, as if they too had a life, a schedule urging them into the realm of conscious knowledge.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• accomplishment
• attainment
• fulfillment
• success