verisimilar
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of verisimilar
First recorded in 1675–85; from Latin vērīsimil(is) ( vērī, genitive singular of vērum “truth,” + similis “like, resembling”) + -ar 1
Explanation
The adjective verisimilar describes something that appears to be true or real but may not be. If you want to impress your friends, remark on the verisimilar portrait of lost love in that foreign film you all went to see. Verisimilar comes from Latin. You’ll notice the word similar at the end, which means “like.” Veri- comes from the word veritas, meaning “truth.” Something that is verisimilar is “like true,” but is not necessarily actually true. A painting of your uncle Marvin, for example, might be so good that it’s verisimilar, in that it almost looks like Uncle Marvin is standing right there — but he isn't.
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.
But his power as a sociologist is no less real that it is unconscious, indeed infinitely more real and human and verisimilar that it is not polemical.
From Mark Twain by Archibald Henderson
The writer's cunning is shown by the fact that he does not stop abruptly: but finishes off with some subsequent and quite verisimilar experiences of the Dutch ship.
From The English Novel by George Saintsbury
Aesthetic truths for Baumgarten were those which did not seem altogether false or altogether true: in fact, the verisimilar.
From Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic by Benedetto Croce
If "verisimilar" be translated by "coherent," a most exact meaning will often be found in the discussions, examples, and judgments of the critics.
From Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic by Benedetto Croce
"I have not," he says, "so much art left me to make any thing agreeable, or verisimilar, wherewith to amuse or deceive the people."
From The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 07 by Sir Walter Scott
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.
