realist

1 of 2

noun

re·​al·​ist ˈrē-ə-list How to pronounce realist (audio)
plural realists
1
: a person who recognizes what is real or possible in a particular situation : one who accepts and deals with things as they really are
a political realist
She considers herself a realist when it comes to parenting.
2
: a person (such as a writer or painter) who adheres to a style of realism by representing things in a way faithful to nature or to real life
Chekhov was essentially more of a realist than Dostoevski, whose force often lay in a strong proclivity to melodrama …Roger Shattuck

realist

2 of 2

adjective

: in the style of realism : faithful in representation to nature or to real life
realist paintings
Though a number of Dahl's most engaging stories, particularly in his early career, are cast in a realist mode, his reputation is that of a writer of macabre, blackly jocose tales …Joyce Carol Oates

Examples of realist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The realist in me views that as highly unlikely, a long shot, but not impossible. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025 Critics have described Abercrombie, never satisfactorily, as a surrealist or a magic realist. Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The dialogue is both realist, full of the ejaculations and repetitions that characterize human speech, and poetic, with only the occasional anapest interrupting the poem’s iambic pentameter. Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025 What is needed now is a new internationalism: a realist internationalism. Anatol Lieven, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for realist

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1853, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of realist was in 1817

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Cite this Entry

“Realist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/realist. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

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