pragmatic
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pragmatic
- /pɹæɡˈmætɪk/
Where it comes from
From Middle French pragmatique, from Late Latin pragmaticus (“relating to civil affair; in Latin, as a noun, a person versed in the law who furnished arguments and points to advocates and orators, a kind of attorney”), from Ancient Greek πραγματικός (pragmatikós, “active, versed in affairs”), from πρᾶγμα (prâgma, “a thing done, a fact”), in plural πράγματα (prágmata, “affairs, state affairs, public business, etc.”), from πράσσω (prássō, “to do”) (whence English practical).
adjective more pragmatic · most pragmatic · pragmatical · pragmatick · pragmatique
-
Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.
The sturdy furniture in the student lounge was pragmatic, but unattractive.
Similar: down-to-earth, functional, practical, utilitarian, realistic, political
- Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature. Polybius’s pragmatic history is simply the history of affairs, as distinguished from the descriptive and often poetical character which much history before his time had.
- Relating to the field of pragmatics.
- Interfering in the affairs of others; officious; meddlesome.
Opposite: idealistic
noun pragmatics · pragmatical · pragmatick · pragmatique
- A man of business.
- A busybody.
- A public decree.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pragmatical, practical, hard-nosed, realistic, matter-of-fact, hardheaded, pragmatist, pragmatism, down-to-earth, substantive, concrete, actual, factual, substantial, businesslike, practice
adjective
Opposite: idealistic
Translations
Every language
adj practical
| Español | pragmático |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 실용적인 siryongjeogin |
| 日本語 | 実利的な jitsuriteki na, 実用主義の jitsuyōshugi no |
| 中文 | 務實的 /务实的 wùshí de |
| हिन्दी | व्यवहारिक vyavhārik, आशावादी āśāvādī |
| Português | pragmático, prático |
| Français | pragmatique |
| Deutsch | pragmatisch |
| Italiano | pragmatico |
| Română | pragmatic |
| Русский | практичный praktičnyj, прагматичный pragmatičnyj, практический praktičeskij, прагматический pragmatičeskij, утилитарный utilitarnyj |
| العربية | عَمَلِيّ ʕamaliyy, بْرَاغْمَاتِيّ brāḡmātiyy, عَمْلَانِيّ ʕamlāniyy |
Talk about this word "pragmatic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pragmatic. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pragmatic. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pragmatic "pragmatic." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pragmatic.Cite this
@misc{pragmatic_2026,
title = {pragmatic},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pragmatic},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
