hyperrealism

noun

hy·​per·​re·​al·​ism ˌhī-pər-ˈrē-ə-ˌli-zəm 

-ˈrēl-ˌi-

: realism in art characterized by depiction of real life in an unusual or striking manner compare photorealism

hyperrealist

ˌhī-pər-ˈrē-ə-list 

-ˈrēl-ist

adjective

hyperrealistic

ˌhī-pər-ˌrē-ə-ˈli-stik 

-ˌrēl-ˈi-

adjective

Examples of hyperrealism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Davies does a good job at moving in such a way that's human but also a little bit wild, which adds to the hyperrealism of a proudly oddball movie. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2025

The spring/summer 2024 collections leaned into hyperrealism through the use of artistic prints and appliques on ready-to-wear. —Kendall Becker, refinery29.com, 7 Mar. 2024

Lately, though, new technology has made hyperrealism easier for humans to achieve, while simultaneously complicating the practice. —Joshua Glass, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2023

His style, raising ordinary dramatic realism to a sort of exuberant hyperrealism, makes the absurd plausible. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2023

What do hyperrealism brows look like? —Jessica Harris, refinery29.com, 6 Jan. 2021

Although many hyperrealism artists prefer oil, acrylic paint is Green's favorite medium for its fast-drying capabilities. —Kayla Smith, CNN, 15 Dec. 2022

Theatrically elaborate and nuanced, the film attains a level of hushed and whispery detail that suggests dramatic hyperrealism, as if it were made with cameras of resolution higher than the eye can perceive. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2022

Judkins’s argument is that Wheel of Time needs hyperrealism as the foundation for the show’s fantasy world, an entire village built solely so it can be burned down by a magical monster. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hyperrealism

• neorealism
• idealism
• surrealism