Standard Lemma guide

realization

noun · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌɹiə-/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌɹiə.lɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
  • Canada, General-American: /-laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R IY1 L AH0 Z EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of realizing, as:

An act of figuring out or becoming aware.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • He came to the startling realization that he had never really known the truth.
  • A bath is a lovely relaxing event, until the realization that you're soaking in your own crud.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The act of realizing, as:

The act of making real.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • He did not stay around long enough to see the realization of the idea.
  • The realization of the plan took several years.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The act of realizing, as:

The result of an artistic effort.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The painter's realization of her concept was breathtaking.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The act of realizing, as:

The manner in which a phoneme is pronounced.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

something that is made real or concrete

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the victory was the realization of a whole year's work

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: realisation, fruition

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: consummation

6

noun

Meaning 6

making real or giving the appearance of reality

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: realisation, actualization, actualisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: creating by mental acts

Narrower terms: objectification

7

noun

Meaning 7

the completion or enrichment of a piece of music left sparsely notated by a composer

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: realisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: composing, composition

8

noun

Meaning 8

a sale in order to obtain money (as a sale of stock or a sale of the estate of a bankrupt person) or the money so obtained

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: realisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sale, cut-rate sale, sales event

9

noun

Meaning 9

coming to understand something clearly and distinctly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a growing realization of the risk involved
  • a sudden recognition of the problem he faced
  • increasing recognition that diabetes frequently coexists with other chronic diseases

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: realisation, recognition

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: understanding, apprehension, discernment, savvy

10

noun

Meaning 10

a musical composition that has been completed or enriched by someone other than the composer

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: realisation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: musical composition, opus, composition, piece, piece of music

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh1-der. Proto-Indo-European *(H)reh1ís Proto-Italic *reis Classical Latin rēs Proto-Indo-European *h2el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin reālisder. Old French reel French real Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izārebor. Old French -iser French -iser French réaliser Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin -ātiōlbor. Old French -ation Middle French -ation French -ation French réalisation English realization From French réalisation, from Middle French; equivalent to realize + -ation.

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: besef — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Dutch: bewustwording — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Finnish: tajuaminen — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Finnish: ymmärrys — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • French: connaissance — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • German: Erkenntnis — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Greek: συνειδητοποίηση (syneiditopoíisi) — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Hungarian: ráeszmélés — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Hungarian: rádöbbenés — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Italian: presa di coscienza — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Malayalam: തിരിച്ചറിയൽ (tiriccaṟiyal) — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Polish: uświadomienie — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Russian: понима́ние (ponimánije) — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Russian: осозна́ние (osoznánije) — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Ukrainian: усвідо́млення (usvidómlennja) — act of figuring out or becoming aware
  • Belarusian: рэаліза́цыя (realizácyja) — act of making real
  • Chinese Mandarin: 實現 /实现 (shíxiàn) — act of making real
  • Dutch: vervulling — act of making real
  • Dutch: voltooiing — act of making real
  • Dutch: verwezenlijking — act of making real
  • Finnish: toteuttaminen — act of making real
  • Finnish: realisointi — act of making real
  • French: réalisation — act of making real
  • German: Verwirklichung — act of making real
  • German: Realisation — act of making real
  • German: Erfüllung — act of making real
  • German: Umsetzung — act of making real
  • Greek: πραγματοποίηση (pragmatopoíisi) — act of making real
  • Hungarian: megvalósítás — act of making real
  • Indonesian: realisasi — act of making real
  • Japanese: 実現 (jitsugen) — act of making real
  • Kazakh: жүзеге асыру (jüzege asyru) — act of making real
  • Malayalam: സാക്ഷാത്കാരം (sākṣātkāraṁ) — act of making real
  • Māori: whakatinanatanga — act of making real
  • Māori: whakameatanga — act of making real
  • Polish: realizacja — act of making real
  • Portuguese: realização — act of making real
  • Russian: осуществле́ние (osuščestvlénije) — act of making real
  • Russian: выполне́ние (vypolnénije) — act of making real
  • Russian: исполне́ние (ispolnénije) — act of making real
  • Russian: реализа́ция (realizácija) — act of making real
  • Swedish: förverkligande — act of making real
  • Swedish: realisering — act of making real
  • Ukrainian: реаліза́ція (realizácija) — act of making real
  • Finnish: toteutus — result of an artistic effort
  • Malayalam: സാക്ഷാത്കാരം (sākṣātkāraṁ) — result of an artistic effort
  • Polish: realizacja — result of an artistic effort
  • Russian: постано́вка (postanóvka) — result of an artistic effort
Real reading context

realization in complete knowledge articles