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Ho preso questa decisione con molto realismo.

Ho preso questa decisione con molto realismo.
I made this decision with a lot of realism.
From Lesson 345:Attitudes and traits (-ismo, -ista)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ho preso questa decisione con molto realismo.

How does the suffix "-ismo" change the meaning of the root word to create "realismo"?
The suffix -ismo is added to the adjective reale (real) to form the abstract noun realismo (realism). While -ismo often creates words for political or artistic movements, here it simply describes an attitude or a practical way of thinking.
The English translation says "I made", so why does the Italian sentence use "Ho preso" (I took)?
This is a classic collocation (words that naturally go together). In Italian, you do not "make" a decision (fare una decisione sounds unnatural). Instead, you "take" a decision using the verb prendere (prendere una decisione).
Since "realismo" is an abstract concept, why does it have the adjective "molto" attached to it?
Even though realism is not something you can physically count, abstract nouns in Italian are still treated as nouns that can be measured in intensity or degree. Here, molto acts as an adjective agreeing with the masculine singular realismo to mean "a lot of" or "great".
Could I express this same idea using the adjective "realistico" instead of the noun "realismo"?
Yes, you could say Ho preso questa decisione in modo molto realistico (I made this decision in a very realistic way). Using con plus an abstract noun (like con realismo) is a very common and elegant way to describe how an action is performed in Italian.

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