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.
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
Most of it looks impressively lifelike on a smartphone screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Their dream reports contained stronger perceptual detail, making the scenes feel more vivid and lifelike.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
It was so lifelike that it reminded him of how she had looked the first time he had seen her; he blinked his eyes.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
