applied
Americanadjective
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having a practical purpose or use; derived from or involved with actual phenomena (distinguished from theoretical,opposed to pure).
applied mathematics; applied science.
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of or relating to those arts or crafts that have a primarily utilitarian function, or to the designs and decorations used in these arts.
Her goal was to integrate aesthetics into everyday life through an applied art, particularly with her hand-painted dinner plates.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of applied
Explanation
Something applied is practical, having to do with real-world situations and problems. Applied physics puts physics into use. If you have a mysterious lump, thank applied physics for the MRI the doctor uses to look inside your body. To apply is to make use of something, like applying a coat of paint. The past participle, applied describes things related to solving concrete problems, rather than dealing with ideas, principles, or philosophy. Applied chemistry, applied physics, and the applied sciences as a whole have to do with real-world issues. The opposite of applied is theoretical, which is only concerned with ideas.
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.
He applied again in the spring semester—and was turned down once more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
It is understood that when Amar Ilyas's defence team applied for bail, which the prosecution had the opportunity to contest, no request for his passport to be forfeited was made.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Establishing the Curiosity Academy was so simple — and, frankly, a bit anticlimactic — that reporters then applied to become eligible to receive public funds.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
And it applied for offense, defense and special teams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
But they could not deny that two thousand pregnant BDM girls applied for support from the National Socialist People’s Relief Administration.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Definitions 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.
