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.
Although there are no known surviving paintings made in her lifetime, there are a handful of lifelike, yet contested, depictions left.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
Global tech giants are investing vast sums into humanoid and other lifelike robots, with grand plans for factory automation, home help and other futuristic "physical AI" services.
From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026
This sensitivity contributes to what scientists call the "Uncanny Valley," a phenomenon where robots appear unsettling rather than lifelike.
From Science Daily • Jan. 16, 2026
The “M3GAN” dolls were so lifelike, and the real sell wasn’t their eyes that draw you in, but the skin.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025
It was one of those dolls that are incredibly lifelike, and I had carried it everywhere for months, changing its diaper, feeding it.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
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.
