1
as in pragmatic
willing to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly
high schoolers who need to be more realistic in their career choices, as so few people end up as rock stars
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in living
closely resembling the object imitated
those special effects look really realistic—I'd never guess they were all computer-generated
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of realistic
Investors will be eager to hear from the company’s leadership about what delivery pace is most realistic this year.
—
Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Swapping five to ten minutes of screen time for a brisk walk, going to bed slightly earlier to move closer to seven hours of sleep or adding one extra serving of vegetables to daily meals are all realistic starting points.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Cars will be lighter, smaller and more environmentally friendly, making the prospect of a shake-up of the competitive order a realistic possibility.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
The 28-year-old, who spent nine years with Everton, has scored eight goals in his last 10 appearances, so naturally pessimistic/realistic Evertonians know their team need to score at least twice to win this one.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for realistic
Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 27 Jan. 2026
Swapping five to ten minutes of screen time for a brisk walk, going to bed slightly earlier to move closer to seven hours of sleep or adding one extra serving of vegetables to daily meals are all realistic starting points.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Cars will be lighter, smaller and more environmentally friendly, making the prospect of a shake-up of the competitive order a realistic possibility.
—Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
The 28-year-old, who spent nine years with Everton, has scored eight goals in his last 10 appearances, so naturally pessimistic/realistic Evertonians know their team need to score at least twice to win this one.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for realistic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for realistic
Adjective
-
Felix’s memoir-manifesto draws on Black radical poetic traditions to argue for the pragmatic power of poetry, and for language as a tool for liberation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The winners of the Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races ran on a platform of being a little bit less divisive and trying to be more pragmatic.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
While 10 mice died and some flies didn’t survive, most of the animals came back alive, giving scientists valuable insight into how living organisms cope with spaceflight.—
Monisha Ravisetti,
Space.com,
27 Dec. 2025
-
In a breakthrough that reimagines how living tissue can drive machines, researchers at MIT have developed artificial tendons made from tough, flexible hydrogel.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet, even for those long-ensconced in homes, the calming tones continue to be both popular and practical.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The panel concluded the order was both overly broad and impermissibly vague, raising constitutional and practical concerns.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Denim brand Ossou has practically perfected the naturalistic look with their array of earthy washes.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The production is naturalistic, with bits of expressionist neo-noir worked in when a crime is being described.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Beyond music, the creation of a lifelike AI actress named Tilly Norwood has sparked similarly existential hand-wringing across Hollywood.—
Andy Meek,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The company first unveiled its humanoid efforts with the IRON robot at its 2024 AI Day event, showing a robot with lifelike movement and design.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Data centers are being built at a rapid pace to meet the growing resource needs of AI, thereby endangering natural habitats.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Hippocrates and his followers held on to their belief in natural causes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Gabriel, who prefers to be called Gabe, is a kind, fun-loving young boy with a delightful sense of humor and a vivid imagination.—
MARE Staff,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
For some nail technicians and amateur nail artists, their vivid and ever-updated creations have become a natural outlet for their outrage.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
24 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Although my normal size fit well (with enough space in the toe box for comfort, sans sloppiness), the clunky-looking shoe lacked the more tailored, three-dimensional build of pricier shoes.—
Maggie Slepian,
Outside,
26 Jan. 2026
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Instead of dotting the same black scrim, like pinholes in a two-dimensional theater backdrop, the stars were scattered through space at dramatically varying distances, a vast swarm of them filling every last corner of an even vaster, more numinous, and emphatically three-dimensional darkness.—
Michael Pollan,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Realistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/realistic. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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