Definition of realismnext
as in naturalism
realistic depiction in art and literature using ordinary people as models, even when depicting the greatest of saints, Caravaggio brought an unforgiving realism to painting that was unprecedented

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Recent Examples of realism Padilla, 33, made her debut during SNL’s 50th season, and quickly distinguished herself by bringing a sense of realism to even her most absurd performances. — Lucy Feldman, Time, 30 Sep. 2026 Throughout, the movie’s deeply affecting realism feels also like symbolism—an existential crisis without any of its arch markers, a world of metaphors without referents, both universal and blank. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026 Sometimes the directors — Trent O’Donnell, Jason Winer and Erin O’Malley — capture a loose, unforced tone, with handheld realism and very pleasant photography of Texas settings. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026 Sympathetic realism is at its wisest when novelists give readers the chance Lee offered in her first book— to love and dislike characters simultaneously. — Sanjena Sathian, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for realism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for realism
Noun
  • For all the film’s naturalism, almost nothing in it was left to chance, not even the weather on the day of the climax.
    — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Yana Radeva, shockingly a first-time actor, is quietly commanding as Veska, suggesting entire histories without spelling them out, while Grisebach’s documentary-like naturalism makes even the film’s strangest turns feel oddly plausible.
    — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 19 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • As with the Yale-set After the Hunt, Guadagnino and the production designer Stefano Baisi grew obsessed with verisimilitude as an index of truth.
    — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That process of reconciliation takes precedence over the music, all of which is believable in its context (the verisimilitude of the The Behemoth!
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2026

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“Realism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realism. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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