A realist sees things with an open mind, without prejudice, while a cynic already has decided he won't like it.

A cynic believes that the only thing that motivates anyone is one thing, money. Often realists ARE cynics.

A cynic always looks towards the negative side whilst a realist weighs it up and tells it as it is.

Both are different. Nothing common among them to compare. A realist accepts the world as it is understood by him. But the cynic could see only the flaws to criticise.

Realists weigh all the facts--both positive and negative--when they shape their ideas. Cynics tend to dwell on the negative.

imho, none!

LynfromNM a perfect answer. People often get these two words confused. They are very different indeed. Many people live in their pretty pink bubbles, telling everyone else to 'be positive' all the time and walk around with a fixed smile on their faces. When someone points out to them that the real world isn't like that, because everything has a balance of both positive and negative, they make the assumption that you are a cynic when in fact you are looking at the world with an open mind, as a realist. The open-mindedness and non-prejudice is the key difference.

A cynic tends to assume the worst possible outcome of a situation. A realist assumes the reality of the situation, for better or worse.

Is the glass half full or half empty? Optimist: Half full. Pessimist: Half empty. Realist: There is half a glass of water. Cynic: Don't drink it, someone probably spat in it!

a cynic becomes a realist when time has proven him right

Realists realize the both good and bad things happen in life and plan accordingly. Cynics believe only bad things will happen, period. They may or may not plan on this because, as cynics, they believe no matter what happens it will turn out bad anyway.

in an ideal world, a realist would be an optimist

I think realist are awesome. They are trustworhty, outgoing, and very hard-working. Cynics are nothing but negative!

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." -George Bernard Shaw

From what I have noticed, cynics tend to be seen as jerks whereas realists are seen as leader figures (like optimists).

I am a cynic myself. However, it is not the one ppl usually think it means. Cynics are smarter, in the sense, because they know what will fail. If u read animal farm, it is obvious the cynics (the donkey in the story) knows that the pigs are not going to be different than humans. The term "cynic" has been given a negative connotation to it. Which I think is unjustified. Not that I am saying everyone should not have some optimistic views in life, I think that is very important to improve and motivate oneself. Cynics are more realistic and less dreamy. But can be dreamy at will. This is what I define as cynic. Oh and one note, we are quite critical of many issues or just about anything. We seek out to stamp out needless things such as the Olympics. Just because I express my views as to y ppl waste time holding such events, does not mean I am wrong. Cynic's ideas are simply better as they save time and needless events, in which the competitors get rich 4 no reason whatsoever. Advertisement money can be better spent. Like improving whatever the advertising company is selling so more customers will buy them? I just read what a realist is. I personally think it is very much similar to a cynic. They both don't have their heads in the clouds. They don't have a difference except that cynic is usually thought to be ALWAYS looking at the pessimistic side. That is wrong. They are just the perfect ppl for a utopia.