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 focus is on realism, avoiding overexaggeration while delivering a lifelike viewing experience.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026
For a narrative in the tradition of British realism, the question is how to be an interesting twenty-first-century novel rather than a costume drama.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2025
But such accuracy has little to do with the pleasures of realism.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
For many everyday scenarios — especially low-resolution video calls and media shared on social media platforms — their realism is now high enough to reliably fool nonexpert viewers.
—Siwei Lyu, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Jan. 2026
For a narrative in the tradition of British realism, the question is how to be an interesting twenty-first-century novel rather than a costume drama.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Dec. 2025
But such accuracy has little to do with the pleasures of realism.
—Rosa Lyster, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
For many everyday scenarios — especially low-resolution video calls and media shared on social media platforms — their realism is now high enough to reliably fool nonexpert viewers.
—Siwei Lyu, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for realism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for realism
Noun
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By filtering the grammar of naturalism through a fine mesh strainer until all that remains are skeletal forms and eerie compositional croppings, Schjerfbeck forces your eye toward an occluded or trivial detail.—
Zachary Fine,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
It’s based on the fallacy of naturalism.—
Christine Baranski,
Vogue,
5 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Her designs for the Safdies, as well as her prolific Instagram cataloguing of clothes worn by regular people on the street, have earned her a reputation as a doyenne of verisimilitude.—
Victoria Uren,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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The verisimilitude rippled out to other departments.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Realism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realism. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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