[nat.u.ral.ism] n (ca. 1641) 1: action, inclination, or thought based only on natural desires and instincts
2: a theory denying that an event or object has a supernatural significance; specif: the doctrine that scientific laws are adequate to account for all phenomena
3: realism in art or literature; specif: a theory in literature emphasizing scientific observation of life without idealization or the avoidance of the ugly