nonrealist
|non-ri-ə-list|
🇺🇸
/ˌnɑnˈriːəlɪst/
🇬🇧
/ˌnɒnˈriːəlɪst/
not a realist; denies independent reality
Etymology
'nonrealist' originates from Modern English components: the prefix 'non-' (from Latin 'non' meaning 'not') combined with 'realist' (from French 'réaliste' ultimately from Latin 'realis' meaning 'real').
'realist' developed from French 'réaliste' (19th century, relating to the artistic and philosophical movement 'réalisme'), which in turn derives from Latin 'realis' ('real'). The compound 'non-' + 'realist' formed in Modern English to indicate the negation of that stance.
Initially a simple negation meaning 'not a realist,' the term has become specialized in contexts like philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics to denote positions that deny independent objective reality or the claims of realism in those domains.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who is a nonrealist; someone who holds a nonrealist view (e.g., in philosophy, ethics, or the arts).
Many nonrealists in aesthetics deny that artworks represent an independent external reality.
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Antonyms
Adjective 1
not realist; rejecting or not endorsing realism. Used especially in philosophy and the arts to describe a stance that denies that certain entities or properties exist independently of our perceptions, theories, or practices.
She adopts a nonrealist position about moral values, arguing they are not objective features of the world.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/18 16:34