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 film follows a [young man] navigating life on the fringes of society in coastal Britain, balancing harsh realism with poetic introspection.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
As in all magical realism tales, these house spirits are an unquestioned part of the family’s reality, so Nora puts these handy men to work fixing up their home, if not their lives.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Rose, writing a monograph on the failure of realism to capture the climate crisis between 2015 and 2030, proposes that historians should cleave to facts.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Building From Scratch—But Building Strong Saudi soprano Reemaz Al-Oqbi embodies both pride and realism.
—Billboard Arabia, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2025
As in all magical realism tales, these house spirits are an unquestioned part of the family’s reality, so Nora puts these handy men to work fixing up their home, if not their lives.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2025
Rose, writing a monograph on the failure of realism to capture the climate crisis between 2015 and 2030, proposes that historians should cleave to facts.
—Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
Building From Scratch—But Building Strong Saudi soprano Reemaz Al-Oqbi embodies both pride and realism.
—Billboard Arabia, Billboard, 22 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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Both his African heritage and his new exploration of the verisimilitudes and vagaries of New York City life paint the ongoing development of The Watchman, sometimes featured as the key figure as in the monumental portrait, AH!—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
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For Greengrass, this is a technique to generate even greater verisimilitude.—
Andy Hazel,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Realism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realism. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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