Verisimilitude

The appearance of being true or real.

‘the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude’

The above sentence, my friends, is the best definition of my favorite word I could find. And it's the closest to my own definition. Since I write near-future sci-fi I have to constantly be aware of the need for verisimilitude in my books. Otherwise, I think, people will not be able to relate to characters if they are not realistic. Therefore my settings are paramount as is the level of technology which evolves almost daily in the real world. As long as the story setting is given verisimilitude, readers can get into the world that is like their own or could be their own. And that's why it's my favorite word.