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.
Most of it looks impressively lifelike on a smartphone screen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
He would then display the bodies in lifelike poses, revealing their muscles, skeletons and internal organs in exhibitions that drew millions worldwide but also occasionally faced calls for bans.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Klein raved about how the Dodgers treat player families, and about a high-tech pitching machine so lifelike that he could see what it would be like to bat against him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
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
Everyone agreed that Cook had outdone herself with the marzipan flowers, which were both lifelike and delicious.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
