true to life
3
4.1
- idiom
:
fiel a la vida
- These are stories so real, so vibrant, so outrageous that, yes indeed, they are true to life.
It's purpley shade showing up pretty true to life in the camera.
- It's purpley shade showing up pretty true to life in the camera.
- I personally, so my favorite place to go is old fast Glass, mostly because they have a testing area that is kind of true to life.
- So it's a completely true to life based on facts show written by former Shin Bet officers.
Examples
-
He said, "I always use true-to-life themes, things that surround people every day."
Academic text (1995) -
Are the actions of the characters true to life and not stereotypical?
Academic text (1999) -
Yes, it turned out to be pretty true to life.
Blog text (32) -
"This book was so true to life that I felt like I was there."
Blog text (5) -
And most of it is a composite, but true to life, which made it pretty easy to write.
-
The subway system, for instance, is true to life.
Academic text (2011) -
The Yoruba have a broadly naturalistic form of art, but this piece is naturalistic in a special way and remarkably true to life.
Academic text (2000) -
I'm told that the movie starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Rosie O'Donnell, and Madonna was quite true to life.
Blog text (28) -
The documentary presented true to life accounts of the survivors' experiences.
-
Her portrayal of the character was so true to life that it resonated with many viewers.
Synonyms
65
4.1
Showing things as they are in real life
22
3.9
That looks and moves like a real person or animal
1
7.0
An image that looks almost exactly like a real photograph
Very similar to real life and easy to imagine
Antonyms
How Realistic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'closely resembling real life' is directly derivable from combining 'true' (in accordance with fact) with 'life' via the common pattern 'true to X' that indicates fidelity to something. The preposition 'to' does not create an idiomatic shift, and similar constructions occur in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
True to life comes from the idea of an artist making a picture so real it looks ready to move and live. The part true means 'real' and life points to everyday life, so the phrase means 'closely like real life'.