realistic

adjective

re·​al·​is·​tic ˌrē-ə-ˈli-stik 

1

: of, relating to, or marked by literary or artistic realism : accurately representing what is natural or real

a realistic novel

realistic portraiture

realistic sound effects

Such films tend to be more expressionistic than realistic.

—Ira Konigsberg

: convincingly rendered to appear natural

Realistic, sensitive artificial skin would be an important step towards making the prosthetic feel like an extension of the body.

—Julian Smith

2

: able to see things as they really are and to deal with them in a practical way

a sensible, realistic person/attitude

trying to be realistic about their chances for success

3

: based on what is real rather than on what is wanted or hoped for : not impractical or visionary

a realistic plan

realistic expectations

setting realistic goals

It's not realistic to expect people to spend that much money on wedding gifts.

For the first time, people with cancers that have long outwitted science have a realistic chance of getting a miracle, too.

—Sharon Begley

realistically

ˌrē-ə-ˈli-sti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

depicting a scene realistically

approaching a problem realistically

Synonyms of realistic

• pragmatic
• practical

Examples of realistic in a Sentence

high schoolers who need to be more realistic in their career choices, as so few people end up as rock stars

those special effects look really realistic—I'd never guess they were all computer-generated

Recent Examples on the Web

And while DeBoer to Penn State would certainly shake up the college football landscape, not to mention create another major college football job opening at Alabama, one top CFB insider believes DeBoer isn’t a realistic possibility for the Nittany Lions. —Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025

Each branch has a realistic look and feel, and the velvet bow is adorned with strings of brass bells that echo modern, farmhouse, and rustic aesthetics. —Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2025

Turns out, the Terminator movies would have been more realistic if Sarah Conner had a poetry MFA. —James Folta, Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

This process was repeated for every single one of the 70 plants in the study to check the model's performance under realistic conditions. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing realistic

• photo-realistic

Rhymes for realistic

• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic
• aphoristic
• atheistic
• cabalistic
• calvinistic
• chauvinistic
• dualistic
• egoistic
• egotistic
• eucharistic

Kids Definition

realistic

adjective

re·​al·​is·​tic

ˌrē-ə-ˈlis-tik, 

ˌri-ə-

1

: true to life or nature

a realistic painting

2

: ready to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly

a realistic approach

realistically

-ti-k(ə-)lē

adverb