n.
Pronunciation: ' r ē - ə - ˌ li-z ə m
Function: noun
Date: 1817
1 : concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary
2 a : a doctrine that universals exist outside the mind specifically : the conception that an abstract term names an independent and unitary reality b : a theory that objects of sense perception or cognition exist independently of the mind ― compare NOMINALISM
3 : the theory or practice of fidelity in art and literature to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization
– re · al · ist \ -list \ adjective or noun
– re · al · is · tic \ ˌ r ē - ə - ' lis-tik \ adjective
– re · al · is · ti · cal · ly \ -ti-k( ə -)l ē \ adverb