realist
realist Lexical Profile
realist Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who accepts a situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it practically rather than relying on wishes or ideals.
"Being a realist, she knew the startup would need strict budget cuts to survive its first year."
An artist or writer whose work represents subjects truthfully and accurately without artificiality or supernatural elements.
"The nineteenth-century novelist was celebrated as a master realist who chronicled working-class life in vivid detail."
An adherent of philosophical realism or a theorist who views international politics as driven primarily by national self-interest and power.
"In international relations, a political realist argues that sovereign states act primarily to secure their own survival."
• adjective
Relating to or exemplifying realism in art, literature, philosophy, or international politics.
"The museum's new exhibition features nineteenth-century realist paintings depicting ordinary rural laborers."
Word Nuance & Usage
As an adjective, 'realist' refers specifically to the artistic, literary, or philosophical movement of realism (e.g., 'realist painting'), whereas 'realistic' means practical, sensible, or lifelike in general contexts.
• Rhymes for realist
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
First recorded in the late 16th century in scholastic philosophy, deriving from Late Latin 'realis' (actual, relating to things), from Latin 'res' (thing, matter), combined with the agent suffix '-ist'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.