VocabauraVOCABAURA

realism

noun

Simple meaning

A concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

reeuhlizm

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈɹiəlɪzm

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary.

  2. An artistic representation of reality as it is.

  3. sciences

    The viewpoint that an external reality exists independent of observation.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (sciences) The viewpoint that an external reality exists independent of observation.

Used this way, realism is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use realism

  • “Her paintings are known for their stark realism, depicting life exactly as it is.”noun

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “realism”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Concern

moral realism

Attribute

legal realism

Other combinations

socialist realismcritical realismmagic realismnaive realism

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • realistnounPerson or profession

    A philosopher who believes that universals are real and exist independently of anyone thinking of them.

  • realitynounDerived noun · specialist

    All of your experiences that determine how things appear to you.

  • reallyadverbDerived adverb

    In accordance with truth or fact or reality.

  • realizeverbDerived verb

    Be fully aware or cognizant of.

  • realiseverbDerived verb

    Earn on some commercial or business transaction.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • magic realismnounCompound term

    A literary or artistic genre in which realistic narrative or meticulously realistic painting are combined with surreal elements of fantasy or dreams.

  • naive realismnounCompound term

    The philosophical doctrine that physical objects continue to exist when not perceived.

  • romantic realismnounCompound term

    The first coherent school of American art.

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “realism” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.