realism

[ ree-uh-liz-uhm ]

noun

1. interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc.
2. the tendency to view or represent things as they really are.
3. Fine Arts.
   1. 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 ).
   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.
4. Literature.
   1. a manner of treating subject matter that presents a careful description of everyday life, usually of the lower and middle classes.
   2. 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 ).
5. Philosophy.
   1. the doctrine that universals have a real objective existence. Compare conceptualism, nominalism.
   2. the doctrine that objects of sense perception have an existence independent of the act of perception. Compare idealism ( def 5a ).

realism

/ ˈrɪəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. awareness or acceptance of the physical universe, events, etc, as they are, as opposed to the abstract or ideal
2. awareness or acceptance of the facts and necessities of life; a practical rather than a moral or dogmatic view of things
3. 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
4. any similar school or style in other arts, esp literature
5. 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 them See also universal Compare Platonism nominalism conceptualism naive realism
6. philosophy the theory that physical objects continue to exist whether they are perceived or not Compare idealism phenomenalism
7. 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

realism

¹

1. 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.

realism

²

1. 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.

Other Words From

• anti·real·ism noun
• hyper·real·ism noun
• non·real·ism noun
• over·real·ism noun
• pro·real·ism noun
• ultra·real·ism noun
• un·real·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of realism¹

First recorded in 1810–20; real ¹ + -ism; compare French réalisme

Example Sentences

Tension between realism and idealism is natural to a high level of engagement abroad, where crises are nonstop, complex, and contentious.

From Time

Simulated with exquisite realism, the deceptive items taunt the thin Mylar surface on which they’re painted.

From Washington Post

To further the realism, there are bullies in this story, and a boy who almost seems dangerous.

From Washington Blade

Most of the hand wringing and knuckle cracking in their debates goes back to an assumption known as “realism.”

From Nautilus

Instead, like Angela mentioned, he says that realism is the most desirable lens for achievement.

From Freakonomics

He said many of them had trouble making the transition from stage realism to the more naturalistic demands of the screen.

From The Daily Beast

There was also an off-putting conflict between whimsy and realism.

From The Daily Beast

Read too strictly, this would exclude highly inventive works of science fiction and fantasy because they lack realism.

From The Daily Beast

Interpreted more broadly, the phrase loses meaning: what constitutes the necessary threshold of realism?

From The Daily Beast

He somehow manages to balance faith, realism, optimism, the news of the day, and the fate of the human race.

From The Daily Beast

Have your play display human nature as you know it, and realism without morbidness.

From Project Gutenberg

Most of them have a smack of realism which shows that Donald has a serious aim in life, that of being a successful man.

From Project Gutenberg

His sketches of everyday living are characterized by his human interest touch and his unique technique of realism at that time.

From Project Gutenberg

She is considered a writer of historical realism although originally she began writing as a romanticist.

From Project Gutenberg

In an era of sentimental and romantic writing, she dared to inject severe realism.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• reality
• truth
• verisimilitude