adjective
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not practical or workable
an impractical solution
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not given to practical matters or gifted with practical skills
he is intelligent but too impractical for commercial work
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impractical
Explanation
Something impractical is difficult or impossible to achieve. It might sound like a great idea, but it's not going to happen. It's just not practical. Impractical ideas make no sense or just can’t be done. Heels so high you have a fish swimming in them are cool, but very impractical. Trying to drive from New York to California in four hours, which could never happen, is impractical. Something impractical is not likely to work. Practical ideas are feasible, but impractical ideas are based on wishful thinking. When someone tells you an idea is impractical, she’s saying, "Get real."
Vocabulary lists containing impractical
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Viewing Current Refugee Crisis Through an Anne Frank Lens
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Moving makes more sense if you believe it would be expensive or impractical to future-proof your current home, with bedrooms and a decent bathroom on the ground floor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
“I’ll admit I am hesitant to share how I spent six months in Costa Rica learning to surf,” he writes, in a chapter that argues for including impractical and “delusional” items on the list.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
And even if a museum is secured well, thieves could still come in armed, Brand says, adding that it would be impractical to put police in galleries.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
"Airdropping personnel with parachute systems is impractical because, unfortunately, the enemy's assets can neutralize them very rapidly," said 24-year-old instructor Axel.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
It was interesting, Kira decided, that they had found a way for water to enter the building, but impractical and unsanitary, and there was no place to bury waste.
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
