realist

[ree-uh-list]

noun

1. a person who tends to view or represent things as they really are.

2. an artist or a writer whose work is characterized by realism.

3. Philosophy.,  an adherent of realism.

adjective

1. of or relating to realism or to a person who embodies its principles or practices.

   the realist approach to social ills;

   realist paintings.

ˈrealist

/ ˈrɪəlɪst /

noun

1. a person who is aware of and accepts the physical universe, events, etc, as they are; pragmatist

2. an artist or writer who seeks to represent the familiar or typical in real life rather than an idealized, formalized, or romantic interpretation

3. philosophy a person who accepts realism

4. (modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of realism or realists in the arts, philosophy, etc

   a realist school

Other Word Forms

• antirealist noun
• hyperrealist noun
• nonrealist noun
• prorealist adjective
• ultrarealist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of realist¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; real ¹ + -ist; compare French réaliste

Example Sentences

Where are the supposed realists and restrainers who run this Administration?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In particular, he sharpens our image of the Hobbesian Thucydides, who founded the realist theory of international relations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Renowned as a queen of literary horror — her stories brim with ghosts, werewolves, zombie infants — here she reveals a realist side, journalistic yet intimate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Rangers had negotiated ties with Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen in previous weeks and, while there was praise for getting through, the realists weren't blind to the luck they experienced along the way.

Read more on BBC

Walt is in no sense an outlier here; he’s an authoritative voice of what we might call left-liberal “realist” foreign policy opinion.

Read more on Salon