Verisimilitude (fiction)
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For other uses, see Verisimilitude (disambiguation).
Verisimilitude (/ˌvɛrɪsɪˈmɪlɪtjuːd/) is the "lifelikeness" or believability of a work of fiction. The word comes from Latin: verum meaning truth and similis meaning similar.[1] Language philosopher Steve Neale distinguishes between two types: cultural verisimilitude, meaning plausibility of the fictional work within the cultural and/or historical context of the real world, outside of the work; and generic verisimilitude, meaning plausibility of a fictional work within the bounds of its own genre (so that, for example, characters regularly singing about their feelings is a believable action within the fictional universe of a musical).[2]