Main Entry: re·al·ism

Pronunciation: \ˈrē-ə-ˌli-zəm\

Function: noun

Date: 1817

1 : concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary
2 a : a doctrine that universals exist outside the mind; specifically : the conception that an abstract term names an independent and unitary reality b : a theory that objects of sense perception or cognition exist independently of the mind — compare nominalism
3 : the theory or practice of fidelity in art and literature to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization

— re·al·ist \-list\ adjective or noun

— re·al·is·tic \ˌrē-ə-ˈlis-tik\ adjective

— re·al·is·ti·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb