lifelikeness

IPA/lˈaɪflaɪknəs/
IPA/lˈaɪflaɪknəs/

lifelikeness — noun

1. how closely a picture, model, robot, or performance seems to match a real person

1.nounC2
Definition

how closely a picture, model, robot, or performance seems to match a real person, animal, or thing.

Example

Visitors praised the lifelikeness of the wax figure in the museum.

pattern: the lifelikeness of + object

Noor gasped at the lifelikeness of the tiger painted on the wall.

Common collocations
  • striking lifelikeness
  • the lifelikeness of the portrait
  • improve the lifelikeness
  • capture lifelikeness
  • lifelikeness in close-up scenes
Synonyms
  • realism

    broader; can describe style or truth to life, not only a visual copy of something real

  • naturalness

    broader and softer; often describes easy movement, speech, or behavior rather than visual detail

  • vividness

    focuses on strong detail and effect, but something vivid may still be less true to life

Antonyms
  • artificiality

    stresses an obviously made, fake, or unnatural quality

  • stiffness

    suggests movement or expression looks rigid instead of real

Usage Note

Usually used in the pattern 'the lifelikeness of ...'. It most often describes art, dolls, robots, game images, or other created things that look surprisingly close to real life.

Common Mistakes

The mask looks very lifelikeness.
The mask looks very lifelike.' or 'The mask has great lifelikeness.
'lifelikeness' is a noun, so use it after a verb like 'have', not directly after 'look'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Lifelikeness' is used when something made by people looks almost alive or very close to the real thing, especially a painting, doll, robot, or digital face. 'Realism' is broader: it can describe an art style, a story, or any effect that feels true to life, even when it is not visually exact. 'Naturalness' usually focuses on ease and lack of strain, as in a voice, movement, or conversation. 'Vividness' points to strong detail that makes an image or memory stand out, but something vivid can still be exaggerated. A wax figure can have impressive lifelikeness, a novel can have realism, an actor's smile can have naturalness, and a travel story can gain vividness from sharp detail.

lifelikeness ↗realism ↗naturalness ↗vividness ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • the lifelikeness of
  • improve the lifelikeness of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglishModern English

This noun was formed in English by adding '-ness' to 'lifelike'. The adjective 'lifelike' joins 'life' and 'like', so the whole word literally means 'the state of looking like life'. It is a transparent English formation rather than a learned borrowing, which is why many readers can guess its meaning from its parts.