realistic
Americanadjective
-
interested in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical.
a realistic estimate of costs; a realistic planner.
- Synonyms:
- sensible, hardheaded, common-sense, pragmatic
-
pertaining to, characterized by, or given to the representation in literature or art of things as they really are.
a realistic novel.
-
resembling or simulating real life.
a duck hunter skilled at making realistic decoys.
-
Philosophy. of or relating to realists or realism.
adjective
-
showing awareness and acceptance of reality
-
practical or pragmatic rather than ideal or moral
-
(of a book, film, etc) depicting or emphasizing what is real and actual rather than abstract or ideal
-
of or relating to philosophical realism
Other Word Forms
- antirealistic adjective
- antirealistically adverb
- hyperrealistic adjective
- nonrealistic adjective
- nonrealistically adverb
- overrealistic adjective
- overrealistically adverb
- prorealistic adjective
- pseudorealistic adjective
- quasi-realistic adjective
- quasi-realistically adverb
- realistically adverb
- semirealistic adjective
- semirealistically adverb
- ultrarealistic adjective
- unrealistic adjective
- unrealistically adverb
Etymology
Origin of realistic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But just as there’s a difference between depicting chaos and depicting chaotically, there’s a difference between presenting theatergoers with a realistic image of mental illness and driving an audience nuts.
From Los Angeles Times
But it’s also realistic to believe that Trinidad, just by being in the competition, is furthering something of a revolution in the Winter Olympics in general, and in bobsledding in particular.
From Los Angeles Times
But Lincoln Riley, after four years of regular churn with his staff at USC, was also realistic.
From Los Angeles Times
Except he makes it a little too realistic, and Matt and Jay inadvertently get zapped back to 2008.
When we evaluated the best options for 2025, we looked at what really matters: strong security features, trustworthy privacy policies, realistic data allowances, decent speeds, user-friendly apps and transparent business practices.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
