Definition of "realism" []

• An inclination toward literal truth and pragmatism. (noun)
• The representation in art or literature of objects, actions, or social conditions as they actually are, without idealization or presentation in abstract form. (noun)
• Philosophy The scholastic doctrine, opposed to nominalism, that universals exist independently of their being thought. (noun)
• Philosophy The modern philosophical doctrine, opposed to idealism, that physical objects exist independently of their being perceived. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In the arts, the term realism is commonly used to refer to the often life-like depiction of the world of objects and human beings."
• "The term realism is also used to describe a movement in literature that attempts to portray life as it is."
• "But even with this definition, the term realism has no very definite meaning unless all persons agree as to what constitutes nature."