lifelike
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lifelike
Explanation
Lifelike things look real, but they're not. A lifelike wax figure might look just like Queen Elizabeth, but it's actually a realistic statue. An artist whose style is described as "realism" probably paints very lifelike scenes, producing paintings that look a lot like photographs. A child's doll might be disturbingly lifelike, made to look like a real live baby. As with many words, this one started life in the seventeenth century with a completely different meaning, "likely to live." The current definition came along about a hundred years later.
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.
At the same time, astrobiologists have long been aware that apparently lifelike features can sometimes arise through non-biological processes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
No longer content to coexist with natural-born beings or seeking to be more lifelike, synthetic humanoids lord over what’s left of humanity.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Australian police called in to investigate a body found in a suitcase have concluded that the "victim" was in fact a lifelike doll.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Listeners may find that the old Cockney’s synthetic delivery is surprisingly lifelike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Your Highness,” he would say, “it breathes. Stop my vitals — I fear if you make it any more lifelike, it will flit oil' the page.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
