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
Roger ShattuckExamples of realist in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 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
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
See All Example Sentences for realist
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The announcement comes just ahead of the COP30 conference in Brazil, where ‘energy realists’ are once again likely to push back against stricter climate goals.
—Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 7 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
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
See All Example Sentences for realist
Cite this Entry
“Realist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/realist. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share