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
While the film is better off with all the realism, the production costs went up as a result.
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Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
Those non-actors lent a realism that shooting on a Hollywood lot with seasoned stars cannot replicate.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Told with magical realism and an array of terrific traditional folk songs, Coco sends Miguel on a journey into the Land of the Dead, which allows Pixar’s genius animators to produce one of their most dreamlike and colorful visual environments.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 19 June 2025
Cao emphasized that the film’s style leans toward exaggerated performance, slightly more theatrical than typical realism.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 June 2025
Those non-actors lent a realism that shooting on a Hollywood lot with seasoned stars cannot replicate.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 19 June 2025
Told with magical realism and an array of terrific traditional folk songs, Coco sends Miguel on a journey into the Land of the Dead, which allows Pixar’s genius animators to produce one of their most dreamlike and colorful visual environments.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 19 June 2025
Cao emphasized that the film’s style leans toward exaggerated performance, slightly more theatrical than typical realism.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for realism
Noun
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The mockumentary is packed with amazing deadpan performances by young actors whose comic timing and naturalism make for consistently hilarious television.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
26 June 2025
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This half-hearted interest in naturalism hurts more than helps.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Noun
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And like that Tom Cruise sequel, F1 plays up the fact that authenticity, verisimilitude and a you-are-there-feeling can often make the difference between a fun afternoon at the moving pictures and an immersive adrenaline rush.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2025
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This is at odds with the verisimilitude of the natural voices and saps the show of dramatic tension.—
Elisabeth Vincentelli,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Realism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realism. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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