re·al·ist
ˈrē-ə-list 
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
Roger Shattuck
: 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
Joyce Carol OatesExamples of realist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024
This week’s picks include a Pulitzer Prize-winning history of a car crash in Jerusalem, a magical realist novel about an apartment terrace, a biography of Cleopatra’s daughter and more.
—Shreya Chattopadhyay, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2024
Ivan Eland, Boston Herald, 15 July 2024
In recent elections, this fatigue may well have translated into a preference for candidates who have embraced a more realist approach to foreign affairs.
—Dan Caldwell, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for realist 
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Noun
That being the case, curiosity and anticipation levels are sky high for 100 Years of Solitude, the series adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s magical realist masterpiece, which filmed in Colombia.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2024
This week’s picks include a Pulitzer Prize-winning history of a car crash in Jerusalem, a magical realist novel about an apartment terrace, a biography of Cleopatra’s daughter and more.
—Shreya Chattopadhyay, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2024
Adjective
During Nixon’s presidency and after, the United States took the realist approach of achieving a better power balance by favoring the weaker China against the stronger Soviet Union, which was a larger threat to the United States.
—Ivan Eland, Boston Herald, 15 July 2024
In recent elections, this fatigue may well have translated into a preference for candidates who have embraced a more realist approach to foreign affairs.
—Dan Caldwell, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for realist
Dictionary Entries Near realist
Cite this Entry
“Realist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/realist. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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