realization

American  

[ree-uh-luh-zay-shuhn] / ˌri ə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

• realizations
  plural

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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrealization
  noun
• prerealization
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• realizations
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

realization realizations

The measure also states it “should be interpreted and implemented to afford the fullest possible weight to the interest of, and the approval and realization of, essential projects.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

"Even though we believed these theories to be true, it's important to have an experimental realization, something you can poke and prod," Alicea says.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

So I’m hoping there’s a combination of that with a greater cynicism about the A.I. companies, a greater realization that the real needs you.

From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026

By the afternoon, as fans struggled to make sense of Oregon’s loss, Woodin’s realization was spreading across social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

The nineteenth-century realization that the living cell was no more than a bag of interconnected chemical reactions had launched a powerful discipline fusing biology and chemistry—biochemistry.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

That’s the essence of Tomlinson’s realizations in her book — she’s growing into herself but that girl who started performing stand-up shows on the church circuit at 16 is still in there.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

Travolta’s narration hints at the realizations that come later, when age and education help shine new light onto the shadowy parts of the past.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

The two seconds between the realizations that I wasn’t on fire and Celia was were a very blissful two seconds.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

Related Words

• accomplishment
• attainment
• fulfillment
• success