# realism

/ˈɹiəɫɪzm/ (US) · /ɹˈiəlɪzəm/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/realism
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. practical attitude

noun · CEFR B2

the habit of accepting a situation as it is and being prepared to deal with it in a practical way.

For teachers: a pragmatic disposition characterized by the rejection of impractical or visionary ideals in favour of objective facts.

- We need a bit of realism when discussing the budget for the new house.
- The negotiator approached the talks with a sense of realism, acknowledging that neither side would achieve their primary objectives without significant compromise.

### 2. art and literature

noun · CEFR B2

a style of painting or writing that shows people and things as they really are in everyday life.

For teachers: an aesthetic style or movement that aims to represent subject matter truthfully, avoiding speculative fiction or exotic supernatural elements.

- The author is famous for the gritty realism of her novels about city life.
- 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.

### 3. philosophy of existence

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Technical

the belief that the world and physical objects exist even if no one is there to see them.

For teachers: the ontological position that an external reality exists independently of the mind, observation, or conceptual schemes.

- Scientific realism suggests that the atoms described by physics are real things.
- The debate between realism and instrumentalism remains central to the philosophy of science, particularly regarding the status of unobservable entities in theoretical physics.

### 4. philosophy of universals

noun · CEFR C2 · Academic · Formal

the old idea that general concepts, like 'beauty' or 'redness', are real things that exist on their own.

For teachers: the medieval or Platonic doctrine that universals exist independently of the particular objects that manifest them.

- In the Middle Ages, scholars argued about realism and whether general ideas truly exist.
- 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.

## Examples

- We need a bit of realism when planning our budget.
- The negotiator's sense of realism helped both sides reach a deal that was actually possible to implement.
- While the novel was praised for its gritty realism, some critics argued that the author focused so heavily on bleak details that the narrative lost its emotional core.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.