1.(philosophy) the doctrine that the world can be understood in scientific terms without recourse to spiritual or supernatural explanations (Freq. 1) • Derivationally related forms: naturalist • Topics: philosophy • Hypernyms: philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory 2. an artistic movement in 19th century France; artists and writers strove for detailed realistic and factual description • Syn: realism • Derivationally related forms: realist (for: realism), naturalistic • Hypernyms: artistic movement, art movement
