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
The Hulu series, which aired its finale on October 1, focuses on Knox’s perspective, even adopting elements of magical realism to depict how unreal those years of her life felt.
—
Claudia Rosenbaum, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The realism of ByteDance's models also raises questions around copyright and likeness issues.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
But realism has to prevail over romanticism, economics over emotion.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
OpenAI said the new release represents a major leap in physical realism, audio-video synchronization, and multi-shot storytelling.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Claudia Rosenbaum, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2025
Advertisement The realism of ByteDance's models also raises questions around copyright and likeness issues.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 1 Oct. 2025
But realism has to prevail over romanticism, economics over emotion.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
OpenAI said the new release represents a major leap in physical realism, audio-video synchronization, and multi-shot storytelling.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for realism
Noun
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Despite that notable change, watching One Battle After Another is much like the experience of reading Pynchon, who lurches from high comedy to stomach-turning naturalism and punctuates plot-heavy sequences with little grace notes of character portraiture.—
Paul A. Thompson,
Pitchfork,
24 Sep. 2025
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His performance is a triumph of naturalism, as is that of Andrew May, who brings layered emotional textures to the couple’s best friend.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
21 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Cenobites, clearly inspired by leather and BDSM culture, are reimagined here as terrifyingly fashionable beings who feel truly alien — an aesthetic praised for its verisimilitude to Clive Barker’s original vision.—
Samantha Allen,
Them.,
7 Oct. 2025
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To enhance the verisimilitude of his wraparound segment, Cheel augments the fictional story of alien-contact footage discovered at a yard sale with nonfiction asides about UFO culture.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Realism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realism. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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