Pragmatic
**Other forms: pragmatics
“To describe a person or a solution that takes a realistic approach, consider the adjective practical. The four-year-old who wants a unicorn for her birthday isn’t being very practical.”
The opposite of idealistic is practical, a word that describes a philosophy of “doing what works best.” From Greek pragma, “deed,” the word has historically described philosophers and politicians who were concerned more with real-world application of ideas than with abstract notions. A pragmatic person is sensible, grounded, and practical — and doesn’t expect a birthday celebration filled with magical creatures.
Pragmatic Definitions
– Concerned with practical matters
– Of or concerning the theory of pragmatism
– An imperial decree that becomes part of the fundamental law of the land
Examples from Social Stuffs
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Advice, when she offered it, tended to be of the hard-boiled and pragmatic variety.
Becoming
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She had to explain the scientific method she had used in order to overcome the senator’s practical resistance.
The House of the Spirits: A Novel
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The fair taught men and women steeped only in the necessary to see that cities did not have to be dark, soiled, and unsafe bastions of the strictly practical.
The Devil in the White City
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The architecture had a spareness and an economy of line that were practical to the point of absurdity.
The Great Santini
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘practical‘. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Alltypemeaning.com or its editors.