The novelist’s meticulous attention to historical detail—from the cadence of 19th-century dialogue to the texture of hand-stitched corsets—lent her story an uncanny verisimilitude, making even the most outlandish plot twists feel hauntingly plausible.
The general meaning is the appearance of truth or validity.
But I usually use it to describe something that is “believable” even if the underlying premise is not. So a fantasy story that pays close attention to detail and is highly consistent might be described as having versimilitude. On the other hand, a story where the characters make out-of-character choices might be lacking versimilitude, even if there are no overtly “fictional” elements to the story.
That’s usually how I’ve heard it used, not sure if it’s the “main” usage though.
It’s a good word! How would you use it in a sentence?
Poorly! As I’m currently high and do not feel confident using it correctly!
Looks cool though!
I’m less high now!
I normally use it when talking about miniatures and toy train setups.
“The miniature painted conifers with bits of snow really have the scene verisimilitude”
I could still be very wrong.
Do you mean the simulacra gave the scene verisimilitude?
Very likely! Even when not high, I use words wrongly! Very very wrongly.
The general meaning is the appearance of truth or validity.
But I usually use it to describe something that is “believable” even if the underlying premise is not. So a fantasy story that pays close attention to detail and is highly consistent might be described as having versimilitude. On the other hand, a story where the characters make out-of-character choices might be lacking versimilitude, even if there are no overtly “fictional” elements to the story.
That’s usually how I’ve heard it used, not sure if it’s the “main” usage though.