REALIST Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

realist

noun

Definition of realist

as in pragmatist

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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.

Recent Examples of realist Any realist would tell you Ukraine would fall. — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 The realist recognizes this series has had two games that were toss-ups and one where the Knicks were just better, longer. — David Troy Outkick, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026 In San Jose, Cohen has developed a reputation as a principled realist who has pursued progress over purity. — Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 1 June 2026 For the realists in the rooms—perhaps joined by economists and accountants—2025’s wildfire season was anything but good news. — Tristan Bove, Fortune, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for realist

Recent Examples of Synonyms for realist

Noun

Craig ran instead as a hard-charging pragmatist who had fought her way into becoming the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Rezaei has been described as a hardline pragmatist, and that certainly showed in our interview.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of pragmatist

Noun

That the earnestness the genre requires galls us cynics, who love to hide in our books, away from all those pesky bodies in the first place?

— Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
Questions about whose interests Infantino is serving have developed beyond average cynics who tend to suspect this type of thing.

— Simon Hughes, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of cynic

Noun

Life has beaten down Weisman’s Jake Levinson, once the radical front man of a bad Rage Against the Machine clone, into a dead-eyed nihilist.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
As criminal cases have increased against members of violent nihilist groups, related abuse reports have also risen.

— Curt Devine, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026

Definition of nihilist

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“Realist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realist. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of realist

noun

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