neorealism

American  

[nee-oh-ree-uh-liz-uhm] / ˌni oʊˈri əˌlɪz əm /

noun

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) any of various movements in literature, art, etc., that are considered as a return to a more realistic style.

2. a philosophy developed chiefly by 20th-century American philosophers, including Montague and Santayana, characterized by a presentationist epistemology and by the assertion of the real status of universals.

3. Movies. a style of filming prominent in Italy after World War II, characterized by a concern for social issues and often shot on location with untrained actors.

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neorealism British  

/ ˌniːəʊˈriːəlɪzəm /

noun

1. films a movement to depict directly the poor in society: originating in postwar Italy

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Other Word Forms

• neorealist noun

Etymology

Origin of neorealism

First recorded in 1915–20; neo- + realism

Example Sentences

And I think that I started to gravitate to Italian neorealism, British social realism.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2024

Grittily poetic works such as Roberto Rossellini’s “Rome, Open City” and Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves” were masterpieces of neorealism that turned themes of deprivation and desperation into high art.

From Washington Post • Jan. 16, 2023

The second season does all that while incorporates the lovely longing intrinsic to Italian neorealism; it drifted, but never stalled.

From Salon • May 23, 2021

Shot in Rome shortly after the end of the German occupation, “Rome Open City” was an early, decisive example of neorealism.

From New York Times • May 22, 2020

Modern-day America looks just as grim in Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which won an award at Sundance this year in the category of neorealism.

From The Guardian • May 6, 2020