realist

No rose-tinted glasses

A realist sees things as they actually are rather than as they might be wished or imagined.

The term often contrasts with idealist or optimist: She's a realist about her chances of promotion.

In philosophy, a realist believes that objects exist independently of perception.

In art and literature, realism depicts ordinary life without idealization—a realist painter shows the world unvarnished.

practical

pragmatist

One favoring practical approaches

down-to-earthPractical and without pretension
sensibleShowing good judgment
matter-of-factUnemotional and practical

no-nonsense · levelheaded · hardheaded · shrewd · judicious · sober · grounded · unromantic · unsentimental · clear-eyed

authentic

truthful

Accurate and sincere

factualGrounded in truth
accurateConforming to fact
credibleWorthy of acceptance

believable · honest · faithful · lifelike · naturalistic · convincing · unvarnished · unembellished · genuine · candid

literature

Balzac

French realist novelist

DickensSurname of Victorian novelist
ChekhovRussian short-story master
naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural

Flaubert · Tolstoy · Zola · verisimilitude · slice-of-life · mimetic · documentary · gritty · unflinching · observational

art

naturalism

Worldview excluding the supernatural

verisimilitudeAppearance of being factual
representationalDepicting recognizable subjects
figurativeRepresenting through imagery

illusionism · trompe-l'oeil · academic · impressionist · photorealist · hyperrealist · Courbet · Rockwell · mimesis

philosophy

empiricism

Knowledge through observation

materialismPrioritizing goods over spirit
positivismPhilosophy demanding verifiable evidence
naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural

nominalism · phenomenology · ontology · epistemology · metaphysics · determinism · monism · idealism · existentialism · rationalism

Categories

artistsPablo Picasso, painter, artist, illustrators, Leonardo da Vinci
sculpturestatue, sculpture, sculptor, sculpting, bronze
art peopleartist, painter, sculptor, illustrator, ceramicist
paintersBotticelli, Caravaggio, Cezanne, Da Vinci, Dali
personalitiesintrovert, optimist, extrovert, pessimist, idealist
thinkersthinkers, thinker, philosophers, philosopher, Aristotle

Opposites

practical vs. idealistic orientation

realistidealist

Pursuer of noble principles

dreamer · utopian · romantic · visionary · optimist

concrete vs. abstract thinking

realisttheorist

Developer of explanatory systems

abstractionist · theoretician · ideologue · speculator · metaphysician

grounded vs. imaginative disposition

realistdaydreamer

Habitual reverie indulger

fantasist · dreamer · escapist · wishful thinker · Walter Mitty

Phrases

reality checkConfrontation with actual circumstances
reality showTelevision featuring non-actors
reality TVFilmed unscripted programming
in realityExpressing what's true
reality televisionProgramming featuring non-actors
virtual realityComputer-created interactive environment

Family

realize, reality, realistic, realization, realism, unrealistic, surrealism, realists, surrealist

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