realism
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the habit of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it in a practical way.
a pragmatic disposition characterized by the rejection of impractical or visionary ideals in favour of objective facts.
Simple“We need a bit of realism when discussing the budget for the new house.”
In context“The negotiator approached the talks with a sense of realism, acknowledging that neither side would achieve their primary objectives without significant compromise.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a style of painting or writing that shows people and things as they really are in everyday life.
an aesthetic style or movement that aims to represent subject matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction or exotic supernatural elements.
Simple“The author is famous for the gritty realism of her novels about city life.”
In context“Nineteenth-century realism in painting sought to depict the mundane lives of the working class with the same dignity previously reserved for historical or religious subjects.”
SynonymsnaturalismverisimilitudeAntonymsabstractionsurrealism - 03 C1 Advanced
the belief that the world and physical objects exist even if no one is there to see them.
the ontological position that an external reality exists independently of the mind, observation, or conceptual schemes.
Simple“Scientific realism suggests that the atoms described by physics are real things.”
In context“The debate between realism and instrumentalism remains central to the philosophy of science, particularly regarding the status of unobservable entities in theoretical physics.”
SynonymsobjectivismAntonymssubjectivismanti realism - 04 C2 Proficiency
the old idea that general concepts, like 'beauty' or 'redness', are real things that exist on their own.
the medieval or Platonic doctrine that universals exist independently of the particular objects that manifest them.
Simple“In the Middle Ages, scholars argued about realism and whether general ideas truly exist.”
In context“The conflict between realism and nominalism shaped much of scholastic theology, as thinkers grappled with the nature of abstract properties and their relation to the physical world.”
SynonymsplatonismAntonymsnominalism
“He has offered notes of realism to temper the excitement of the spending spree.”
“But equally there has to be a sense of realism about the nature of the teams they’ve played.”
From real + -ism.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.