verisimilitude
- The appearance or quality of being true or real, especially in a work of fiction or art.
In a sentence
- The novelist researched Victorian medicine extensively to lend verisimilitude to her historical thriller.
- Critics praised the film's verisimilitude, noting that even minor background details were historically accurate.
Usage note. Verisimilitude refers specifically to the convincing appearance of truth rather than truth itself; it is a key technical term in literary criticism and rhetoric.
Where it comes from
English verisimilitude · entered English early 17th c.
From Latin 'verisimilitudo,' formed from 'verisimilis,' meaning 'like the truth,' which combines 'verus' (true) and 'similis' (like, similar). It entered English in the early 17th century, primarily in literary and rhetorical discourse.