realist

[ ree-uh-list ]

/ ˈri ə lɪst /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR realist ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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

Philosophy. an adherent of realism.

adjective

of or relating to realism or to a person who embodies its principles or practices: the realist approach to social ills; realist paintings.

Nearby words

realia, realign, realignment, realise, realism, realist, realistic, realistically, reality, reality awareness, reality check

Origin of realist

1595–1605; real¹ + -ist; compare French réaliste

Related forms

an·ti·re·al·ist, noun, adjectivehy·per·re·al·ist, nounnon·re·al·ist, nounpro·re·al·ist, adjective, noun

ul·tra·re·al·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for realist

Burt told me that he considers Paul a traditional, Republican realist.
Is Rand Paul a Secret Hawk? Or Maybe Not a Total Dove?|James Kirchick|May 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was an “idealist and a realist at the same time,” said his close friend, the British Diplomat Frank Roberts.
The Man Who Knew Russia Best: George Kennan’s Revealing Diaries|James A. Warren|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I view myself as a realist, and the reality is that what Iran is doing is very simple,” he said.
Rubio Slams Hawks and Doves|Josh Rogin|November 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Cozzens, largely forgotten these days, was a 20th-century realist writer in the mode of Theodore Dreiser.
Scott Turow: How I Write|Noah Charney|October 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Ben Gurion once said, “In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.”
Full Video and Transcript of Obama's Speech in Israel|Justin Green|March 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There is, however, a side of Tchehov which one would not expect in so relentless a realist.
Why we should read|S. P. B. Mais
If I were a realist poet, I should write about the book's external appearance.
Goblins and Pagodas|John Gould Fletcher
He is the most of a realist, and the least of an idealist of any poet we know.
English Critical Essays|Various
All this evidently can be maintained only from the point of view of the realist.
The Reform of Education|Giovanni Gentile
He is a realist: and it is an extraordinary feat of heroism to be a realist in America.
The London Mercury, Vol. I, Nos. 1-6, November 1919 to April 1920|Various

British Dictionary definitions for realist

realist

/ (ˈrɪəlɪst) /

noun

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

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

philosophy a person who accepts realism

(modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of realism or realists in the arts, philosophy, etca realist school

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