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.
Praise for GTA 6's graphics was more or less universal, with characters displaying photorealistic faces and lifelike movements.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
McBride fears the law would interfere with the making of devices like the one that activates his lifelike hand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
In one recording of a WhatsApp video call seen by AFP, the scammer, appearing lifelike as the prince, flickered on the screen.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
The characters who populate the Visconti-Sforza deck are so lifelike we half expect them to turn and speak to us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
The space traveler was Ivan Ivanovich, an amazingly lifelike mannequin built specially for this final dress rehearsal.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
