practical
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practical
- /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ Australia, Canada, US
- /ˈpɹak.tɪ.kəl/ British, Midlands, Northern England
- /ˈpɾak.tɪ.kəl/ Scotland, Wales
- /ˈpɹɛk.tə.kəl/ New Zealand
Where it comes from
From Middle English practical, practicale, praktycall, from Medieval Latin practicālis.
adjective more practical · most practical
- Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. Jack didn't get an engineering degree, but has practical knowledge of metalworking.
- Being likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation; able to be put to use. Jack's knowledge has the practical benefit of giving us useful prototype parts.
- Of a person, having skills or knowledge that are practical. All in all, Jack's a very practical chap.
- Of a prop: having some degree of functionality, rather than being a mere imitation.
- Light fixtures used for set lighting and seen in the frame of a shot as part of the scenery. Practical lighting can help sell the illusion that the film is a real situation.
Opposite: theoretical, impractical
noun practicals
- A part of an exam or series of exams in which the candidate has to demonstrate practical ability. 2020, John David, Meetings with Remarkable People During my practicals I had an even more extraordinary experience than the theory exams.
- A prop that has some degree of functionality, rather than being a mere imitation. Practicals are used onstage as they would be used in real life. If the sound cue is to be from a radio or television, give qualities to the recording that will maintain the sense of the medium.
- A light fixture used for set lighting and seen in the frame of a shot as part of the scenery. A naturalistic set is normally dressed with all the furnishings and props to be found in a real room. This includes electric light fittings which, when they actually light, are known as practicals.
- Laboratory experiment, test or investigation
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: hard-nosed, pragmatic, pragmatical, realistic, applicable, matter-of-fact, practicable, functional, applicatory, applicative, serviceable, applied, operable, working, virtual, useful
adjective
Opposite: theoretical, impractical
Translations
Every language
adj based on practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis
| Español | práctico |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 실질적인 siljiljeogin |
| 日本語 | 実践的な jissen-teki na |
| हिन्दी | प्रायोगिक prāyogik |
| Português | prático |
| Français | pratique |
| Deutsch | praktisch |
| Italiano | pratico |
| Ελληνικά | πρακτικός praktikós |
| Română | practic |
| Русский | практи́ческий praktíčeskij |
| العربية | تَطْبِيقِيّ taṭbīqiyy |
| עברית | מעשי |
adj being likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation
| 한국어 | 현실적인 hyeonsiljeogin |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 実用的な jitsuyou-teki na |
| 中文 | 使用的 shǐyòng de, 實用 /实用 shíyòng |
| हिन्दी | प्रायोगिक prāyogik, क्रियात्मक kriyātmak, व्यवहारिक vyavhārik |
| Deutsch | praktisch |
| Italiano | concreto, reale |
| Ελληνικά | πρακτικός praktikós, χρήσιμος chrísimos |
| Русский | практи́ческий praktíčeskij |
| العربية | عَمَلِيّ ʕamaliyy |
| עברית | ישים, בר־ישום |
adj having skills or knowledge that are practical
| 日本語 | 実務経験のある jitsumu-keiken no aru, 経験豊かな keiken yutaka na |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | praktisch |
| Italiano | funzionale |
| Ελληνικά | πρακτικός praktikós |
| Русский | практи́чный praktíčnyj |
Talk about this word "practical." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/practical. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. practical. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/practical "practical." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/practical.Cite this
@misc{practical_2026,
title = {practical},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/practical},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
