We live in a world where truth and falsity are now more intertwined than ever before. It seems people are getting better at disguising falsehoods as truths. It could be something fun, like using CGI or makeup in a movie. Alternatively, it could be something with huge financial repercussions, like identity theft. Either way, we have a word for it—verisimilitude. And now that I’ve triple-checked the spelling, let’s discuss it.
Meaning: resembling reality; having the appearance of truth.
Origin: from verisimilitudo (Latin), meaning “likeness to truth”; from the Latin veri, which is the genitive singular of verus (meaning “true” or “real”), and similitudo (meaning “likeness” or “resemblance”).
Example: I like to see a bit of verisimilitude when I read science fiction.
Verisimilitude can entertain us, or it can harm us. On a more serious note, there are enough lies out there in the world. Sometimes the truth hurts. But it’s better to be truthful—completely honest—than to fill our lives with lies. After all, nobody likes a pathological liar. The liar might not agree with that, though … but then he’d be lying to himself anyway.