realism

realism — noun

1. an approach that centres on what is actually true and achievable, steering clear

1.nounB2
Definition

an approach that centres on what is actually true and achievable, steering clear of wishful thinking or unrealistic hopes.

Example

Rodrigo showed realism when he chose a college program with strong job prospects.

collocation: show/display + realism (practical attitude)

The management team's realism helped them set sales targets that the staff could actually meet.

Common collocations
  • political realism
  • clear-eyed realism
  • cold realism
  • hard-headed realism
  • economic realism
Synonyms
  • practicality

    focuses on usefulness and efficiency rather than a general worldview

  • pragmatism

    a more formal term, often associated with a specific philosophical tradition

  • level-headedness

    emphasises calm judgement and emotional control more than fact-based thinking

Antonyms
  • idealism

    the tendency to believe that things can be better than they currently are

  • optimism

    expecting positive outcomes, which may ignore realistic constraints

Grammar Patterns

realism + about + noun phrase

realism + in + gerund clause

Usage Note

Commonly used with verbs like show, display, demonstrate, or call for. Frequently appears in business and political contexts to contrast a hard-headed approach with wishful thinking.

Common Mistakes

His realism attitude helped him succeed.
His realism helped him succeed.
realism is a noun, not an adjective. Use realistic as the adjective form.
I have a realism about my exam results.
I am realistic about my exam results.
realism is uncountable and rarely used in first-person self-description; use the adjective realistic instead.

2. the belief in philosophy and science that objects, events, and the physical worl

2.nounC1
Definition

the belief in philosophy and science that objects, events, and the physical world exist independently of whether any person is observing or thinking about them.

Example

In philosophy class, the professor explained that realism claims a chair still exists in a room with nobody inside.

Abigail's essay compared idealism with realism by asking whether a falling tree makes a sound if no one hears it.

contrast: realism vs idealism

Common collocations
  • scientific realism
  • metaphysical realism
  • direct realism
  • realism about the external world
Synonyms
  • objectivism

    stresses that knowledge and truth exist independently of the knower; a broader epistemological position

  • materialism

    a narrower view that only physical matter is real, whereas realism also accepts non-physical objects

Antonyms
  • idealism

    the philosophical view that reality is fundamentally mental or constructed by the mind

Grammar Patterns

form of realism + that-clause

realism + about + noun phrase

Usage Note

Opposite of idealism in philosophy. Do not confuse this sense with sense 5 (ABSTRACT UNIVERSALS) — sense 2 concerns physical objects and the external world, whereas sense 5 concerns abstract concepts such as 'beauty' or 'justice'.

3. a style of painting, film, or writing that tries to show people and everyday lif

3.nounB2
Definition

a style of painting, film, or writing that tries to show people and everyday life as they really are, without making them seem more attractive, heroic, or perfect.

Example

The novel is a powerful example of realism, describing factory workers' lives without romanticising them.

example of realism in literature

Bao prefers realism in films, where characters speak and act like ordinary people rather than heroes.

Common collocations
  • social realism
  • magical realism
  • literary realism
  • kitchen-sink realism
  • French realism
Synonyms
  • naturalism

    a more extreme form of realism that applies scientific determinism to characters

  • verisimilitude

    the appearance of being true or real; focuses on effect rather than an artistic movement

Antonyms
  • idealism

    in art, representing things as they ought to be rather than as they are

  • abstraction

    art that does not attempt to represent external reality accurately

Grammar Patterns

[adjective] + realism

school of realism

Usage Note

Often modified by a preceding adjective naming a sub-genre (e.g. magical realism, social realism, kitchen-sink realism). Compare with naturalism, which is a more extreme form that treats characters as products of their environment.

Common Mistakes

Realism is a painting that looks real.
Realism is a style of painting that aims to show life as it really is.
realism is a style or movement, not a single painting.

4. the quality of looking, sounding, or feeling very similar to real life, especial

4.nounB2
Definition

the quality of looking, sounding, or feeling very similar to real life, especially in a creative work, performance, or imitation.

Example

The realism of the film's special effects made the audience gasp as the building collapsed on screen.

the realism of + [technical element]

Rachid was impressed by the realism of the wax figures at the history museum.

Common collocations
  • stunning realism
  • photographic realism
  • gritty realism
  • remarkable realism
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • artificiality

    the quality of looking fake or manufactured

  • stylisation

    deliberate simplification or exaggeration of features for artistic effect

Grammar Patterns

the realism of + [noun]

added to the realism

Usage Note

Unlike sense 3 (ART & LITERATURE), this sense describes a measurable quality of verisimilitude rather than a named artistic movement. You can say 'the realism of the CGI was impressive' but not 'the CGI was an example of realism' (which would imply movement membership).

Common Mistakes

The painting had a lot of realism, so it belongs to realism.
The painting has great realism, but it is not necessarily part of the Realism movement.
confuse the quality (sense 4) with the art movement (sense 3).

5. the philosophical theory that general ideas or categories — such as 'beauty', 'j

5.nounC2
Definition

the philosophical theory that general ideas or categories — such as 'beauty', 'justice', or 'redness' — exist as real entities outside of human thought, rather than being merely names or labels that humans invent.

Example

Medieval philosophers debated whether realism about concepts like 'goodness' could be logically defended.

realism about + [abstract philosophical concept]

Sade wrote her thesis on the difference between realism and nominalism in medieval scholastic thought.

contrast: realism vs nominalism

Common collocations
  • Platonic realism
  • moderate realism
  • extreme realism
  • realism about universals
Synonyms
  • Platonism

    a specific form of realism about universals derived from Plato's theory of Forms

Antonyms
  • nominalism

    the view that universal concepts are merely names or labels with no independent reality

Grammar Patterns

realism about + [abstract concept]

Usage Note

This is a technical sense within metaphysics, often contrasted with nominalism. Do not confuse with sense 2 (PHILOSOPHICAL EXISTENCE) — sense 2 concerns physical objects, whereas this sense concerns abstract universals like properties and categories. The two philosophies are historically related but logically distinct.

Word family

  • realist
    nounB2
  • realist
    adjectiveB2
  • realistic
    adjectiveB1
  • unrealistic
    adjectiveB2
  • realistically
    adverbB2
  • unrealistically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe a fact-based approach to life, but they differ in scope and flavour. Practicality is the broadest term — it simply means choosing the most useful or effective option, often with a focus on convenience or efficiency. Pragmatism carries a more formal, philosophical weight; it originated as a distinct school of thought (American pragmatism) and implies that truth is judged by practical consequences. Level-headedness emphasises emotional stability and calm judgement — a level-headed person does not panic, while a realistic person may still feel emotions but acts on facts. Down-to-earthness is the most informal and describes someone who is modest, unpretentious, and connected to ordinary life. Example: 'Her practicality meant she chose the cheapest flight, her realism meant she booked travel insurance too, and her down-to-earthness made her easy to travel with.'

practicalitypragmatism ↗level-headednessdown-to-earthness

Common collocations

Nouns

  • lack of realism
  • sense of realism
  • degree of realism
  • form of realism
  • brand of realism

Phrases

  • with realism
  • without realism

Prepositions

  • realism about
  • realism in

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word realism was formed in English from real (meaning 'actually existing') and the suffix -ism (denoting a belief, system, or practice). Real itself came into English from Latin realis, meaning 'actual', which in turn came from Latin res, meaning 'a thing' or 'a matter'. The term first appeared in philosophical writing in the early 1700s, describing the doctrine that abstract concepts have real existence. By the mid-1800s it had spread to art and literature, referring to movements that rejected idealised or romantic portrayals in favour of truthful depictions of everyday life.