realism

[ ree-uh-liz-uhm ]

/ ˈri əˌlɪz əm /

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noun

interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc.

the tendency to view or represent things as they really are.

Fine Arts.

treatment of forms, colors, space, etc., in such a manner as to emphasize their correspondence to actuality or to ordinary visual experience.Compare idealism (def. 4), naturalism (def. 2).
(usually initial capital letter) a style of painting and sculpture developed about the mid-19th century in which figures and scenes are depicted as they are experienced or might be experienced in everyday life.

Literature.

a manner of treating subject matter that presents a careful description of everyday life, usually of the lower and middle classes.
a theory of writing in which the ordinary, familiar, or mundane aspects of life are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact manner that is presumed to reflect life as it actually is.Compare naturalism (def. 1b).

Philosophy.

the doctrine that universals have a real objective existence.Compare conceptualism, nominalism.
the doctrine that objects of sense perception have an existence independent of the act of perception.Compare idealism (def. 5a).

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Origin of realism

1810–20; real¹ + -ism; compare French réalisme

OTHER WORDS FROM realism

an·ti·re·al·ism, nounhy·per·re·al·ism, nounnon·re·al·ism, nouno·ver·re·al·ism, noun

pro·re·al·ism, nounul·tra·re·al·ism, nounun·re·al·ism, noun

Words nearby realism

realgar, realia, realign, realignment, real income, realism, realist, realistic, reality, reality-based, reality check

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use realism in a sentence

Tension between realism and idealism is natural to a high level of engagement abroad, where crises are nonstop, complex, and contentious.
George Shultz Showed U.S. Foreign Policy Is Strongest When We Combine Realism and Human Rights|Robert D. Kaplan|February 9, 2021|Time
Simulated with exquisite realism, the deceptive items taunt the thin Mylar surface on which they’re painted.
In the galleries: Immersive exhibit explores a wonderland in blue|Mark Jenkins|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
To further the realism, there are bullies in this story, and a boy who almost seems dangerous.
A sweet book about first love|Terri Schlichenmeyer|October 11, 2020|Washington Blade
Most of the hand wringing and knuckle cracking in their debates goes back to an assumption known as “realism.”
Your Guide to the Many Meanings of Quantum Mechanics - Facts So Romantic|Sabine Hossenfelder|September 3, 2020|Nautilus

Instead, like Angela mentioned, he says that realism is the most desirable lens for achievement.
Introducing “No Stupid Questions” (Ep. 422)|Stephen J. Dubner|June 18, 2020|Freakonomics
He said many of them had trouble making the transition from stage realism to the more naturalistic demands of the screen.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was also an off-putting conflict between whimsy and realism.
‘Peter Pan Live!’ Review: No Amount of Clapping Brings It to Life|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Read too strictly, this would exclude highly inventive works of science fiction and fantasy because they lack realism.
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Interpreted more broadly, the phrase loses meaning: what constitutes the necessary threshold of realism?
The Birth of the Novel|Nick Romeo|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He somehow manages to balance faith, realism, optimism, the news of the day, and the fate of the human race.
Martin Luther King’s Nobel Speech Is an Often Ignored Masterpiece|Malcolm Jones|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Have your play display human nature as you know it, and realism without morbidness.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
Most of them have a smack of realism which shows that Donald has a serious aim in life, that of being a successful man.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
His sketches of everyday living are characterized by his human interest touch and his unique technique of realism at that time.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
She is considered a writer of historical realism although originally she began writing as a romanticist.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
In an era of sentimental and romantic writing, she dared to inject severe realism.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey

British Dictionary definitions for realism

realism

/ (ˈrɪəˌlɪzəm) /

noun

awareness or acceptance of the physical universe, events, etc, as they are, as opposed to the abstract or ideal

awareness or acceptance of the facts and necessities of life; a practical rather than a moral or dogmatic view of things

a style of painting and sculpture that seeks to represent the familiar or typical in real life, rather than an idealized, formalized, or romantic interpretation of it

any similar school or style in other arts, esp literature

philosophy the thesis that general terms such as common nouns refer to entities that have a real existence separate from the individuals which fall under themSee also universal (def. 11b) Compare Platonism, nominalism, conceptualism, naive realism

philosophy the theory that physical objects continue to exist whether they are perceived or notCompare idealism, phenomenalism

logic philosophy the theory that the sense of a statement is given by a specification of its truth conditions, or that there is a reality independent of the speaker's conception of it that determines the truth or falsehood of every statement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for realism (1 of 2)

realism

An approach to philosophy that regards external objects as the most fundamentally real things, with perceptions or ideas as secondary. Realism is thus opposed to idealism. Materialism and naturalism are forms of realism. The term realism is also used to describe a movement in literature that attempts to portray life as it is.

Cultural definitions for realism (2 of 2)

realism

An attempt to make art and literature resemble life. Realist painters and writers take their subjects from the world around them (instead of from idealized subjects, such as figures in mythology or folklore) and try to represent them in a lifelike manner.

realism

Origin of realism

OTHER WORDS FROM realism

Words nearby realism

Words related to realism

How to use realism in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for realism

Cultural definitions for realism (1 of 2)

Cultural definitions for realism (2 of 2)