What does verisimilarly mean?
Verisimilarly is an uncommon formal adverb meaning in a way that resembles truth or reality. It is used when a fictional narrative, portrayal, imitation, or explanation is so convincing that it seems credible, while often preserving the implication that its truth is only apparent. The adverb is formed from verisimilar, an adjective meaning “seeming true or resembling reality,” and ultimately from Latin verisimilis, literally “like the truth.” Unlike an ordinary claim to be factual, verisimilarly focuses on the convincing quality of a representation rather than establishing that it is true. This nuance makes the word useful in literary criticism, aesthetics, rhetoric, and discussion of storytelling, where the boundary between truth and plausible invention matters. In everyday English, similarly and plausibly are usually more direct choices, but verisimilarly offers a more specialized and expressive alternative.
adverbIn a manner that resembles truth or reality; plausibly or in a way that seems true.
- In a way that resembles truth or reality; plausibly or so as to seem true.
"The novelist renders the vanished city so verisimilarly that its imagined streets seem to have existed."
"The witness reconstructed the conversation so verisimilarly that listeners doubted it had been invented."
"The historical novel creates a unfamiliar world with such verisimilitude that its fictional details feel documentary."
Verisimilarly lives in the narrow space between truth and a convincing performance of truth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does verisimilarly come from?
Verisimilarly is an English adverb formed from verisimilar and the suffix -ly. Verisimilar derives from Latin verisimilis, “like the truth,” formed from verus (“true”) and similis (“like”). The same Latin elements underlie verisimilitude, while similis is also the source of similar, similarity, and similitude.
Related word forms
How verisimilarly is actually used
This is an uncommon, formal or literary adverb. It is especially suited to literary criticism, aesthetics, rhetoric, and discussion of fictional representation. In everyday English, plausibly or realistically will often be more natural.
Easily confused with verisimilarly
Verisimilar is the adjective meaning “resembling truth or reality,” whereas verisimilarly is the adverb describing the manner of doing so.
Verisimilitude is the noun for the quality of seeming true or realistic, whereas verisimilarly describes how something is presented or represented.