Realism
/ˈriː.ə.lɪ.zəm/noun
The representation of people, things, or situations as they are, without idealization or exaggeration.
Did you know?The philosophical sense of realism opposed idealism by arguing that things exist independently of our minds, making the word part of a centuries-old battle over whether consciousness creates reality.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
rēs
“Thing, matter, affair, or fact—the basic noun behind the idea of what is real.”
Late Latin
Latin
reālis
“Of a thing; actual or relating to things.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
reālismus
“A philosophical doctrine concerning the reality of universals or things.”
12th–14th Century
Old French / Middle English
real
“Actual, genuine, or existing in fact.”
1817
English
realism
“A philosophical or artistic tendency favoring reality over idealization; later, a literary and visual style.”