Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

realization

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

noun

  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.


Other Word Forms

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."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing realization

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Realization of such a vision will require pragmatic shifts in our understanding of the biology of early cancer, but also shifts in our attitudes and investments.

From Scientific American • Dec. 17, 2020

Yogananda continued to travel across America, but to stay in touch with his growing number of students across the country, he created the Self Realization Fellowship Lessons, a kind of mail-order yoga and meditation school.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 19, 2020

Delteil, A., Sun, Z., Fält, S. & Imamoğlu, A. Realization of a cascaded quantum system: heralded absorption of a single photon qubit by a single-electron charged quantum dot.

From Nature • Nov. 21, 2017

Earlier in the year, Omar Khayam had beaten Hourless in the Lawrence Realization Stakes and the Brooklyn Derby.

From Washington Times • Oct. 17, 2017

Realization started to dawn on me, and I closed my eyes.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss