realization

[ree-uh-luh-zey-shuhn]

noun

1. the making or being made real of something imagined, planned, etc.

2. the result of such a process.

   The new church was the realization of a ten-year dream.

3. the act of realizing or the state of being realized.

4. an instance or result of realizing.

5. Music.

   1. the act of realizing a figured bass.

   2. a printed score of a realized figured bass.

Other Word Forms

• nonrealization noun
• prerealization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of realization¹

First recorded in 1605–15; from French réalisation; equivalent to realize + -ation

Example Sentences

As the final seconds ticked away Saturday, there was only the realization that, once again, its hopes of a special season had been dashed right on the doorstep.

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"There is a growing realization in the medical community that changes in estrogen levels are related to cognitive function and, specifically, psychiatric disorders."

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Nothing was more frustrating to them on the eve of the French Revolution than the realization that the majority of Frenchmen didn’t speak French.

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Its stock price has been rocketing higher for years on a growing realization that the highly parallel computing used to draw videogame pixels is a good fit for AI, too.

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Add the overlay of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is wreaking havoc with the European energy-supply balance, and there has been a realization that Europe is punching below its weight.

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Related Words

• accomplishment 
• attainment 
• fulfillment 
• success