Realistic — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˌrē-ə-ˈli-stik/ re·al·is·tic

Meaning & Definition of Realistic

Realistic (adjective)

  1. of, relating to, or marked by literary or artistic realism, accurately representing what is natural or real, convincingly rendered to appear natural
  2. able to see things as they really are and to deal with them in a practical way
  3. based on what is real rather than on what is wanted or hoped for, not impractical or visionary

Realistic (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. willing to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly

    "high schoolers who need to be more realistic in their career choices, as so few people end up as rock stars"

    similar: down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, practical, pragmatic
    related: idealless, philistine, utilitarian, commonsensical, grounded, levelheaded, logical, no-nonsense, rational, reasonable, sane, sensible, sober, sobersided, sound, bottom-line, hard, hard-boiled, hard-edged, tough-minded, unromantic, unsentimental, cynical, disillusioned, misanthropic, pessimistic, distrustful, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious
    opposite: blue-sky, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, utopian, visionary
    near: fanciful, fantastic, imaginative, romantic, sentimental, cheerful, optimistic, rose-colored, trustful, trusting, unsuspicious, half-baked, illogical, insane, irrational, unreasonable, theoretical

  2. closely resembling the object imitated

    "those special effects look really realistic—I'd never guess they were all computer-generated"

    similar: lifelike, living, natural, naturalistic, near, photo-realistic, three-dimensional
    related: alike, like, matching, similar, verisimilar, akin, analogous, approximate, comparable, resembling, accurate, close, faithful, true, compelling, convincing, expressive, graphic, gritty, vivid
    opposite: nonnatural, nonrealistic, unnatural, unrealistic
    near: dissimilar, off, unalike, unlike, incomparable, unmatched, contrasted, contrasting, different, disparate, fake, mock, phony, sham

Related Entry: Realism (noun)

Realism is a different word from Realistic. The synonyms below are for realism, not for realistic.

  1. realistic depiction in art and literature

    "using ordinary people as models, even when depicting the greatest of saints, Caravaggio brought an unforgiving realism to painting that was unprecedented"

    similar: literalism, naturalism, representationalism, verisimilitude, verismo
    related: photo-realism, authenticity, grittiness

Related Entry: Photo-realistic (adjective)

Photo-realistic is a different word from Realistic. The synonyms below are for photo-realistic, not for realistic.

  1. closely resembling the object imitated

    "photo-realistic portraits of birds that caused some gallerygoers to forget that they were looking at paintings"

    similar: lifelike, living, natural, naturalistic, near, realistic, three-dimensional
    related: alike, like, matching, similar, verisimilar, akin, analogous, approximate, comparable, resembling, accurate, close, faithful, true, compelling, convincing, expressive, graphic, gritty, vivid
    opposite: nonnatural, nonrealistic, unnatural, unrealistic
    near: dissimilar, off, unalike, unlike, incomparable, unmatched, contrasted, contrasting, different, disparate, fake, mock, phony, sham

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Realistic

The most common words with a similar meaning to Realistic:

down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, practical, pragmatic, lifelike, living, natural, naturalistic, near, photo-realistic, three-dimensional

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Realistic

Words with the opposite meaning of Realistic:

blue-sky, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, utopian, visionary, nonnatural, nonrealistic, unnatural

Related Words for Realistic

idealless, philistine, utilitarian, commonsensical, grounded, levelheaded, logical, no-nonsense, rational, reasonable, sane, sensible, sober, sobersided, sound, bottom-line, hard, hard-boiled, hard-edged, tough-minded, unromantic, unsentimental, cynical, disillusioned, misanthropic, pessimistic, distrustful, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious

Near Antonyms of Realistic

fanciful, fantastic, imaginative, romantic, sentimental, cheerful, optimistic, rose-colored, trustful, trusting, unsuspicious, half-baked, illogical, insane, irrational, unreasonable, theoretical, dissimilar, off, unalike, unlike, incomparable, unmatched, contrasted, contrasting, different, disparate, fake, mock, phony

Word Forms of Realistic

Derived words: realistically (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Realistic

First known use: 1829

Frequently Asked Questions about Realistic

What does "Realistic" mean?

"Realistic" means of, relating to, or marked by literary or artistic realism, accurately representing what is natural or real, convincingly rendered to appear natural. As an adjective, it is defined as: of, relating to, or marked by literary or artistic realism, accurately representing what is natural or real, convincingly rendered to appear natural. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Realistic"?

Other words for "Realistic" include down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, practical, pragmatic, lifelike and living. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Realistic" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Realistic"?

There are 63 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Realistic". Common alternatives include down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, practical, pragmatic, lifelike, living, natural and naturalistic.

What is the opposite of "Realistic"?

Antonyms of "Realistic" include blue-sky, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, utopian, visionary, nonnatural and nonrealistic. Near antonyms include fanciful, fantastic, imaginative and romantic.

How do you use "Realistic" in a sentence?

Examples of "Realistic" in a sentence: "high schoolers who need to be more realistic in their career choices, as so few people end up as rock stars"; "those special effects look really realistic—I'd never guess they were all computer-generated".

Is "Realistic" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Realistic" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Realistic"?

"Realistic" is pronounced /ˌrē-ə-ˈli-stik/ and divided into syllables as re·al·is·tic.

What is the origin of the word "Realistic"?

First known use: 1829.