realization
Americannoun
-
the making or being made real of something imagined, planned, etc.
-
the result of such a process.
The new church was the realization of a ten-year dream.
-
the act of realizing or the state of being realized.
-
an instance or result of realizing.
-
Music.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing realization
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Lesson 9
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Camp Panda
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
What the launch of Kimi 3 has crystallized is the realization that the gap between China’s best AI plays, and the most sophisticated American technologies, is narrowing rapidly.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Rogers’s undoing began with a string of emails and an alarming realization: He was being blackmailed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Some refuse to accommodate themselves to the new order, out of principle or the realization that their own future is over, and seek opportunity elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
When I first saw Linda, it was stages of realization.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
With that realization, his night got even better.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
Private-market vehicles assume regular realizations of unlisted share investments and repayment of private loans, which have slowed due to the lack of exits or losses.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Other examples abound of large performance fees exceeding cash realizations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
The team also measured how easily this fluid flows and found that its viscosity is extremely low, making it one of the closest realizations of a perfect fluid ever observed.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2026
So everything he is doing now is about legacy, and with a malignant narcissist who knows that he may not be long for this earth, the danger that comes with those realizations is acute.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2026
And as I start to cry, the realizations start to hit me, all over again.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
