Literature Glossary
Don’t be an oxymoron. Know your literary terms.
Over 200 literary terms, Shmooped to perfection.
Verisimilitude
Definition:
Veri-who? Veri-what? Verisimilitude.
Need help pronouncing this one? Okay, let's break it down. Say it slowly: VER-UH-SIM-IL-UH-TUDE.
Got it? Now faster: VERUHSIMILUHTUDE.
Still need help? Listen here. Bingo.
Good. Now for the definition.
Verisimilitude refers to the resemblance a work bears to reality. If a work of literature has verisimilitude, it has a certain likeness to actual life.
There are all kinds of debates about whether or not verisimilitude is something writers should aspire to. Do stories have to resemble real life in order to ring true? Not necessarily, say some.