realist
n. countablen. someone who sees things as they really are, rather than how they wish they were. You are a realist if you focus on facts and practical results instead of dreams.
n. a person who accepts a situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it accordingly. In art or literature, refers to a creator who aims to represent subjects as they appear in everyday life.
I am a realist, so I know this plan will take a long time.
While the rest of the team hoped for a miracle, the realist in the group started looking for a backup plan.
The author was a committed realist, populating her novels with gritty details of urban poverty that challenged the romanticised depictions common in the literature of her era.
From real + -ist.
Often contrasted with 'idealist' or 'dreamer'.