escapist

[ ih-skey-pist ]

noun

1. a person who avoids reality by becoming absorbed in entertainment or fantasy:

   I, for one, am an escapist, so pondering whether an anime series is "looking out into the world" isn't something I concern myself with.

2. a person who tries or manages to get out of captivity; an escape artist or escapee:

   In 1864, the celebrated prison escapist Hamilton tunneled his way to freedom with 60 other captured Union officers.

adjective

1. avoiding reality through entertainment or fantasy, or enabling people to do so:

   His childhood taste for cowboy adventures and escapist films like Tarzan gave way to an admiration for realist European directors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of escapist¹

escap(e) ( def ) + -ist ( def )