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

1

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

realist paintings

2

: realistic, practical

a realist approach to the problem

Examples of realist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But Shironitta adds that Takaichi, while seen as conservative and nationalistic, is also a realist. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 28 Oct. 2025

In this magical realist gay bedroom odyssey, Matias reminisces about his past encounters and considers his future, while speaking to a fictional figure from Brazilian literature. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025

Adjective

Breakthrough producer nominations go to Wyn Baptiste for activism documentary Shoot the People, Charlotte Knowles for cross-border doc Palestine Comedy Club, Joann Kushner for screenlife heist movie LifeHack and Dhiraj Mahey for social-realist coming-of-age drama Ish. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025

The film is a magical realist drama that confronts the dark underbelly of progress and power in contemporary Indonesia, is in post-production and was previously at the Venice Gap-Financing Market. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1832, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing realist

• photo-realist