v. t. To align anew or better; as, realign the wheels of my car; realign my jaw. Usually used without the hyphen. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. F. réalisme. ] 1. (Philos.) (a) As opposed to nominalism, the doctrine that genera and species are real things or entities, existing independently of our conceptions. According to realism the Universal exists ante rem (Plato), or in re (Aristotle). (b) As opposed to idealism, the doctrine that in sense perception there is an immediate cognition of the external object, and our knowledge of it is not mediate and representative. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Art & Lit.) Fidelity to nature or to real life; representation without idealization, and making no appeal to the imagination; adherence to the actual fact. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. the practise of assessing facts and the probabilities of the consequences of actions in an objective manner; avoidance of unrealistic or impractical beliefs or efforts. Contrasted to idealism, self-deception, overoptimism, overimaginativeness, or visionariness. [ PJC ]

n. [ Cf. F. réaliste. ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Art. & Lit.) An artist or writer who aims at realism in his work. See Realism, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. a person who avoids unrealistic or impractical beliefs or efforts. Contrasted to idealist or visionary. [ PJC ]

a. Of or pertaining to the realists; in the manner of the realists; characterized by realism rather than by imagination. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a realistic manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Realities [ Cf. F. réalité, LL. realitas. See 3d Real, and cf. 2d Realty. ] 1. The state or quality of being real; actual being or existence of anything, in distinction from mere appearance; fact. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man fancies that he understands a critic, when in reality he does not comprehend his meaning. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which is real; an actual existence; that which is not imagination, fiction, or pretense; that which has objective existence, and is not merely an idea. [ 1913 Webster ]

And to realities yield all her shows. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

My neck may be an idea to you, but it is a reality to me. Beattie. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. [ See 1st Realty, 2. ] Loyalty; devotion. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To express our reality to the emperor. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) See 2d Realty, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being realized. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. réalisation. ] The act of realizing, or the state of being realized. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Realized p. pr. & vb. n. Realizing ] [ Cf. F. réaliser. ] 1. To make real; to convert from the imaginary or fictitious into the actual; to bring into concrete existence; to effectuate; to accomplish; as, to realize a scheme or project. [ 1913 Webster ]

We realize what Archimedes had only in hypothesis, weighing a single grain against the globe of earth. Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cause to seem real; to impress upon the mind as actual; to feel vividly or strongly; to make one's own in apprehension or experience. [ 1913 Webster ]

Many coincidences . . . soon begin to appear in them [ Greek inscriptions ] which realize ancient history to us. Jowett. [ 1913 Webster ]

We can not realize it in thought, that the object . . . had really no being at any past moment. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To convert into real property; to make real estate of; as, to realize his fortune. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To acquire as an actual possession; to obtain as the result of plans and efforts; to gain; to get; as, to realize large profits from a speculation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Knighthood was not beyond the reach of any man who could by diligent thrift realize a good estate. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To convert into actual money; as, to realize assets. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To convert any kind of property into money, especially property representing investments, as shares in stock companies, bonds, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wary men took the alarm, and began to realize, a word now first brought into use to express the conversion of ideal property into something real. W. Irving. [ 1913 Webster ]