realistic

[ ree-uh-lis-tik ]

/ ˌri əˈlɪs tɪk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR realistic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

interested in, concerned with, or based on what is real or practical: a realistic estimate of costs; a realistic planner.

pertaining to, characterized by, or given to the representation in literature or art of things as they really are: a realistic novel.

resembling or simulating real life: a duck hunter skilled at making realistic decoys.

Philosophy. of or relating to realists or realism.

Nearby words

Origin of realistic

First recorded in 1855–60; realist + -ic

SYNONYMS FOR realistic

1. pragmatic, common-sense, hard-headed, sensible.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR realistic ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·re·al·is·tic, adjectivean·ti·re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbhy·per·re·al·is·tic, adjective

non·re·al·is·tic, adjectivenon·re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbo·ver·re·al·is·tic, adjectiveo·ver·re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbpro·re·al·is·tic, adjectivepseu·do·re·al·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-re·al·is·tic, adjectivequa·si-re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·re·al·is·tic, adjectivesem·i·re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbul·tra·re·al·is·tic, adjectiveun·re·al·is·tic, adjectiveun·re·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for realistic

Just a month from that date, he now no longer believes that to be realistic, and will no longer estimate a timeline for the trial.
Prosecutors Have No Idea When 9/11 Mastermind’s Trial Will Start|Tim Mak|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I just wanted to make it realistic and not glamorize life,” she said.
A First Lady of Punk Rock Talks|Justin Jones|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
John came to see The Realistic Joneses and we went out to dinner after and talked casually about the show, but that was it.
Michael C. Hall on Going Drag for ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ and Exorcising ‘Dexter’|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To test out a doll he designed to have realistic human proportions, Nickolay Lamm went to a group of second-graders in Pittsburgh.
Pot-Smoking Grannies, Jimmy Fallon Covers U2, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Expectations need to be realistic; recovery from TBIs is never an easy road, and permanent, life-changing adjustments happen.
Understanding Tracy Morgan’s Traumatic Brain Injury|Jean Kim|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His novels are marked by abundance of incident, skilful handling of dialect, and realistic portraiture.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
Statuary in limestone, wood, and copper in the early dynastic period was vigorous and realistic.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
Every now and then someone gave him a shake and his knees wobbled in most realistic fashion.
With the Ulster Division in France|Arthur Purefoy Irwin Samuels
It is evident that no realistic image of the experience of a damned soul had ever approached the portals of his mind.
Pragmatism|William James
Lovers of realistic fiction will revel in this literary feast.
Only One Love, or Who Was the Heir|Charles Garvice

British Dictionary definitions for realistic

realistic

/ (ˌrɪəˈlɪstɪk) /

adjective

showing awareness and acceptance of reality

practical or pragmatic rather than ideal or moral

(of a book, film, etc) depicting or emphasizing what is real and actual rather than abstract or ideal

of or relating to philosophical realism

Derived Formsrealistically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for realistic

realistic

adj.

"true to reality" (of art, literature, etc.), 1829; "involving a practical view of life" (opposed to idealistic), 1831; from realist + -ic. Related: Realistically.

realistic

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of realistic

Examples from the Web for realistic

realistic

adjective

realistic