realist

American  

[ree-uh-list] / ˈri ə lɪst /

noun

• realists
  plural

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.

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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.

realist British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• realists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of realist

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

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Explanation

Some may say you never expect good things to happen, but maybe you’re just a realist, a person who uses facts and past events, rather than hopeful feelings and wishes, to predict the future. In art, Realist painters started a movement by depicting the world around them as it actually appeared, rather than painting flattering portraits of unattractive people and scenes too good to be true. You don't have to be an artist to be a realist — just consider limitations and anticipate that things that can go wrong will go wrong. The downside? Realists don't get to dream of the great things that could happen if everything goes right.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

realist realists

He envisions himself as a realist, but his proposed appeal to national interest is almost touchingly naive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Social realist dramas aren’t new and they include award-winning landmarks by Ken Loach and Chloé Zhao.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The row first erupted after another academic - self-defined "race realist" Nathan Cofnas, who was sacked from his Cambridge role in 2024 - said he found numerous instances of plagiarism in Prof Arday's work.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Plagiarism claims against Arday were first made in July by Nathan Cofnas, a US academic and self-defined "race realist" whose research affiliation with a Cambridge college was terminated in 2024 amid racism accusations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

She was a straight-down-the-line realist, controlling what she could.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

De Palma may be best known for his stylistic trademarks and penchant for perversion, but he’s also one of American cinema’s great realists.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

The setting for this two-hander is more abstract than usual for Hunter, who is one of the theater’s outstanding American realists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

“We are realists, but we are not worrywarts either,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 11, 2026

Even worse are the hardheaded dollars-and-cents realists of Wall Street who take this new reality as a given.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 2, 2025

Like the realists, we must insist that it is not so difficult to tell good science from bad, as long as you agree that knowledge should be carefully and systematically tested against experience.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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