a philosopher who believes that universals are real and exist independently of anyone thinking of them
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a person who accepts the world as it literally is and deals with it accordingly
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a painter who represents the world realistically and not in an idealized or romantic style
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Realist \Re"al*ist\, n. [Cf. F. r['e]aliste.] 1. (Philos.) One who believes in realism; esp., one who maintains that generals, or the terms used to denote the genera and species of things, represent real existences, and are not mere names, as maintained by the nominalists.
2. (Art. & Lit.) An artist or writer who aims at realism in his work. See {Realism}, 2.
3. a person who avoids unrealistic or impractical beliefs or efforts. Contrasted to {idealist} or {visionary}. [PJC]
"Frank is a realist," says a source close to the company.
But as a battle-scarred veteran of two decades of Alaskan political infighting, the man who was governor throughout the building of the trans-Alaska pipeline is also a realist.
He was quoted as saying he would rather have peace without any weapons, "But I am a realist.
In his autobiography, Durano described himself as a political realist.
I'm also a realist.
And yet Dali is also looking elsewhere, and in a remarkable painting of a basket of bread, of 1926, the year of his final expulsion from the Madrid Academy, he pays direct homage to the great Spanish realist tradition and to Zurbaran in particular.
In the first decades of this century, Russian artists began to reject realist conventions, reflecting and expanding upon German, French and Italian innovations.
"She has been the chief example in my life," said Mrs. Jackson. "I can remember her as a struggling young woman, who as a positive person, a realist.
Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young says Jesse Jackson is a realist and won't press a request to be Michael Dukakis' running mate if it means the Democrats will lose in November.
It was then that he was, in a deep sense, a realist artist.