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 visionary2 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 nominalism3: 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