quasi-realism

noun

The noncognitivist metaethical view that although ethical sentences do not express propositions (and thus cannot be true or false), they nevertheless project emotional attitudes as though this could be the case.

OriginEnglish realism ← Middle English real ← Old French ree →
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Meanings

nounquasi-realism (uncountable)

alternative quasirealism

  1. uncountablehuman sciencesThe noncognitivist metaethical view that although ethical sentences do not express propositions (and thus cannot be true or false), they nevertheless project emotional attitudes as though this could be the case.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kʷís
  3. Proto-Italic*kʷis
  4. Proto-Indo-European*kʷ-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*kʷos
  6. Proto-Italic*kʷoi
  7. Latinquam
  8. Proto-Indo-European*só
  9. Proto-Italic*sei
  10. Latinsī
  11. Latinquasī̆
  12. Englishquasi-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*(H)reh₁-
  14. Proto-Indo-European*(H)reh₁ís
  15. Proto-Italic*reis
  16. Classical Latinrēs
  17. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  18. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  19. Late Latinreālis
  20. Old Frenchree
  21. Middle Englishreal
  22. Englishreal
  23. Englishrealism
  24. Englishquasi-realism

From quasi- + realism. From an attempt to reconcile the merits of the noncognitivist (or antirealist) view with the everyday perception of ethical statements having truth values.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

quasi-realism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quasi-realism

MLA

“quasi-realism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quasi-realism. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “quasi-realism,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/quasi-realism.

Source: quasi-realism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.