realism

noun

re·​al·​ism ˈrē-ə-ˌli-zəm 

1

: concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary

2

a

: a doctrine that universals exist outside the mind

specifically : the conception that an abstract term names an independent and unitary reality

b

: a theory that objects of sense perception or cognition exist independently of the mind compare nominalism

3

: the theory or practice of fidelity in art and literature to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization

Synonyms

• literalism
• naturalism
• representationalism
• verisimilitude
• verismo

Examples of realism in a Sentence

He has a sense of realism about what can be done to improve the economy.

The realism of her dream was alarming.

the stark realism of the play

Recent Examples on the Web

Traversing The Uncanny Valley: Deepfakes Increasingly Defy Human Detection Although still undeniably impressive, in their infancy, deepfakes were fraught with visual and auditory imperfections that stymied their pursuit of realism. —Eyal Benishti, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024

That prompted him to lean away from realism and political commentary, opting to embrace visual cues from horror movies and other works of German expressionism with the hope that some distance from reality would make his film more timeless and approachable. —Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2024

Alice Rohrwacher’s visually stunning La Chimera delves into the world of Italian tomb robbers, blending folklore, realism, and mysticism. —Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Nov. 2024

The need for perfect aesthetics on social media sites has made individualism and realism hard to come by. —Paris Wilson, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing realism

• anti-realism
• magic realism
• photo-realism
• socialist realism

Kids Definition

realism

noun

re·​al·​ism ˈrē-ə-ˌliz-əm 

ˈri-ə-

1

: willingness to face facts and to give in to what is necessary

2

: the showing of things as they really are in art, literature, and theater

realist

-ləst 

adjective or noun