Realist - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

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SKIP TO CONTENT realist /ˈrilɪst/ /ˈrilɪst/ IPA guide

Other forms: realists

Some may say you never expect good things to happen, but maybe you’re just a realist, a person who uses facts and past events, rather than hopeful feelings and wishes, to predict the future.

In art, Realist painters started a movement by depicting the world around them as it actually appeared, rather than painting flattering portraits of unattractive people and scenes too good to be true. You don't have to be an artist to be a realist — just consider limitations and anticipate that things that can go wrong will go wrong. The downside? Realists don't get to dream of the great things that could happen if everything goes right.

Definitions of realist

noun a person who accepts the world as it literally is and deals with it accordingly synonyms: objectivist see moresee less types: pragmatist a person who takes a practical approach to problems and is concerned primarily with the success or failure of his or her actions type of: individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul a human being
noun a painter who represents the world realistically and not in an idealized or romantic style synonyms: objectivist see moresee less type of: painter an artist who paints
noun a philosopher who believes that universals are real and exist independently of anyone thinking of them synonyms: objectivist see moresee less types: pragmatist an adherent of philosophical pragmatism type of: philosopher a specialist in philosophy

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Vocabulary lists containing realist

Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941)

In January of 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt outlined the basic freedoms that, in his view, America represented. Almost a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, FDR warned of the dangers from dictatorships and of the need for America to prepare to defend itself.

Franklin Roosevelt, "Four Freedoms" (1941), List 2

Part 2 Vocabulary (Unit 5) MORE VOCABULARY LISTS 2 million people are mastering new words. Master a word

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