realist

1 of 2

noun

re·​al·​ist ˈrē-ə-list 

plural realists

1

: a person who recognizes what is real or possible in a particular situation : one who accepts and deals with things as they really are

a political realist

She considers herself a realist when it comes to parenting.

2

: a person (such as a writer or painter) who adheres to a style of realism by representing things in a way faithful to nature or to real life

Chekhov was essentially more of a realist than Dostoevski, whose force often lay in a strong proclivity to melodrama …

—Roger Shattuck

realist

2 of 2

adjective

: in the style of realism : faithful in representation to nature or to real life

realist paintings

Though a number of Dahl's most engaging stories, particularly in his early career, are cast in a realist mode, his reputation is that of a writer of macabre, blackly jocose tales …

—Joyce Carol Oates

Examples of realist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The idealist in me wanted to believe Jill could be right, but the realist in me wasn’t convinced. —Jodie Platt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024

Even committed realists can work within the musical genre, with an entirely diegetic score and a narrative framed around a concert or a performance. —Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024

Adjective

While retaining a sensibility of scrappy, playful creativity, Baker has also matured in his vision to come up with something like a clear-eyed fantasy: a realist fairy tale. —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2024

Superhuman divinity as a revelation of Buddhist perfection, dressed in a toga related to Greco-Roman nobility and carved in the realist style of classical sculpture, is brilliantly portrayed by an unidentified artist working in Asia. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1853, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing realist

• photo-realist