impractical

[im-prak-ti-kuhl]

adjective

1. not practical or useful.

2. not capable of dealing with practical matters; lacking sense.

3. idealistic.

4. impracticable.

impractical

/ ɪmˈpræktɪkəl /

adjective

1. not practical or workable

   an impractical solution

2. not given to practical matters or gifted with practical skills

   he is intelligent but too impractical for commercial work

Other Word Forms

• impracticality noun
• impracticalness noun
• impractically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of impractical¹

First recorded in 1860–65; im- ² + practical

Example Sentences

Ref x Nara is “nostalgic, theatrical, and a little impractical, all made from scratch,” according to the brand.

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Researchers say the approach could excel where traditional robots fail, like situations where central control is impractical or impossible due to distance, scale or communication barriers.

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Researchers say this approach could excel where traditional robots fail, like situations where central control is impractical or impossible due to distance, scale or communication barriers.

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Soto argued that the rules — which prohibit officers from targeting journalists and nonviolent protesters — are overly broad and impractical.

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Meanwhile, both types of delicate greens are expensive and impractical because they spoil after two days.

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Related Words

• absurd 
• illogical 
• impossible 
• improbable 
• quixotic 
• speculative 
• unattainable 
• unreal 
• unusable 
• unwise 
• unworkable 
• useless