realisation

IPA/ˌrɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
KK[rˈiləzˈeʃən]IPA/ˌriː.ə.ləˈzeɪ.ʃən/

realisation — noun

  • realisationsingular
  • realisationsplural

1. the point at which you suddenly know or accept that something is true, often aft

1.nounB2
Definition

the point at which you suddenly know or accept that something is true, often after not noticing it before

Example

The realisation that her keys were still inside the locked car hit Manuela at the bus stop.

realisation that + clause for a sudden new understanding

Slowly, the realisation came to Kwame that nobody was going to answer the office phone.

realisation came to [person] that + clause

Common collocations
  • sudden realisation
  • growing realisation
  • dawning realisation
Synonyms
  • awareness

    an ongoing state of knowing, while realisation stresses the moment it begins

  • recognition

    more formal; often acknowledging something already known by others

Antonyms
  • ignorance

    the state of not knowing, before any realisation occurs

Grammar Patterns

realisation that + clause

the realisation of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently followed by a that-clause naming the new understanding, or by 'of + noun'. Often paired with 'sudden', 'growing', 'slow', or 'full'.

Common Mistakes

I had a realisation about cook dinner.
I had a realisation that I should cook dinner.
the new understanding is stated as a that-clause, not a bare verb.

2. the act of making something you planned or wished for actually happen

2.nounC1
Definition

the act of making something you planned or wished for actually happen

Example

The new library marked the realisation of a dream Ada had carried since childhood.

the realisation of a dream / goal / plan

Years of training led to the realisation of Mathieu's goal of swimming across the bay.

led to the realisation of [person]'s goal

Common collocations
  • realisation of a dream
  • realisation of a plan
  • realisation of an ambition
Synonyms
  • achievement

    the result of effort; realisation stresses turning a plan into reality

  • fulfilment

    emphasises satisfying a wish or hope rather than completing a plan

Antonyms
  • failure

    when a plan or dream does not come true

Grammar Patterns

the realisation of + noun

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about making a plan or dream come true, not about suddenly understanding something. Almost always 'realisation of + noun', never followed by a that-clause.

Common Mistakes

the realisation that her dream
the realisation of her dream
this sense takes 'of + noun', not a that-clause.

3. the act of turning something you own into money by selling it

3.nounC1
Definition

the act of turning something you own into money by selling it

Example

The realisation of the family's old paintings brought in enough to clear every debt.

realisation of [assets] for money

Lauren advised the couple to delay the realisation of their shares until prices rose.

realisation of shares / assets

Common collocations
  • realisation of assets
  • realisation of shares
  • realisation of an estate
Synonyms
  • sale

    the everyday word; realisation is the formal term used for assets and estates

  • liquidation

    turning a whole business's assets into cash, often when closing down

Grammar Patterns

the realisation of + assets

Usage Note

Common in finance and legal contexts. Subject is usually money-generating property: shares, assets, land, or an estate. Distinguish from sense 2 by the money outcome.

4. the work of filling out a piece of old music that the composer left only partly

4.nounC2
Definition

the work of filling out a piece of old music that the composer left only partly written, so it can be played in full

Example

Roya's realisation of the unfinished cantata let the choir perform it for the first time.

realisation of an unfinished piece

The conductor praised the careful realisation of the bass line in the early opera.

Common collocations
  • realisation of a figured bass
  • realisation of an unfinished work
Synonyms
  • arrangement

    adapting existing music; realisation specifically completes what was left unwritten

  • completion

    the general idea of finishing a work; realisation is the musical term for it

Grammar Patterns

a realisation of + musical work

Usage Note

Specialist music term. Refers to writing out the harmony a composer only sketched, especially from a figured bass. Distinguish from sense 5, which is about how a piece is performed rather than completed on paper.

5. the particular style in which a tune is played or arranged when someone performs

5.nounC2
Definition

the particular style in which a tune is played or arranged when someone performs it

Example

Anong's slow, quiet realisation of the folk tune moved the whole audience to tears.

realisation of a piece in performance

The jazz band's realisation of the old hymn turned it into something bright and new.

Common collocations
  • a fresh realisation
  • a new realisation of the piece
Synonyms
  • rendition

    a single performance of a piece; realisation stresses the chosen style or arrangement

  • interpretation

    a performer's personal reading of a work, close in meaning to this sense

Grammar Patterns

a realisation of + piece

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 4: this sense is about the sound and style of an actual performance, while sense 4 is about completing music left unwritten on the page.

6. the actual way a sound or word is spoken aloud, which may differ from one speake

6.nounC2
Definition

the actual way a sound or word is spoken aloud, which may differ from one speaker or region to another

Example

In her accent, the realisation of the 'r' sound is much softer than in mine.

realisation of a [sound] in speech

The teacher recorded each child's realisation of the difficult vowel for later study.

Common collocations
  • realisation of a sound
  • realisation of a phoneme
Synonyms
  • pronunciation

    the everyday word; realisation is the technical term used in phonetics

  • articulation

    the physical act of forming a sound; close to this sense in linguistics

Grammar Patterns

the realisation of + sound

Usage Note

A linguistics term for how a sound is physically produced in speech, as opposed to how it is written. Often contrasts speakers, accents, or regions.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe coming to know something, but they differ in timing and depth. Realisation stresses the moment understanding begins, often suddenly and after a period of not noticing: 'the realisation that the door was unlocked'. Awareness is the steady state of knowing that follows, with no single starting point: 'a growing awareness of the risks'. Recognition is more formal and often public, acknowledging something already true or known to others: 'official recognition of the problem'. Insight goes deeper, suggesting you have understood a hidden cause or pattern, not just a fact: 'her insight into why the plan failed'. So you might say, 'The sudden realisation gave her a new awareness of the danger, and later a real insight into how to fix it.'

realisation ↗awareness ↗recognition ↗insight ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • realisation of a dream
  • realisation of assets

Adverbs

  • suddenly realised
  • slowly realised

Phrases

  • come to the realisation
  • a sudden realisation
  • a growing realisation

Prepositions

  • realisation of
  • realisation that

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Realisation comes from the verb 'realise', which entered English from the French 'réaliser', meaning to make real. The French built it on the Latin 'realis', from 'res', meaning a thing. The noun ending '-ation' turns the verb into the name of the action or its result. The earliest English senses were about making something real or turning property into money; the very common 'sudden understanding' meaning grew later, as the idea of an inner truth becoming real to the mind. The '-isation' spelling is British; American English usually writes 'realization'.