practical
Americanadjective
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of or relating to practice or action.
practical mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- pragmatic
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consisting of, involving, or resulting from practice or action.
a practical application of a rule.
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of, relating to, or concerned with ordinary activities, business, or work.
a habitual dreamer, who can't be bothered with practical affairs.
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adapted or designed for actual use; useful.
practical instructions.
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engaged or experienced in actual practice or work.
a practical politician credited with much legislation.
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inclined toward or fitted for actual work or useful activities.
looking for a practical person to fill this position.
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mindful of the results, usefulness, advantages or disadvantages, etc., of action or procedure.
- Antonyms:
- foolish, unwise, imprudent, ill-advised
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being such in practice or effect; virtual.
Her promotion to manager is a practical certainty.
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Theater. practicable.
adjective
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of, involving, or concerned with experience or actual use; not theoretical
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of or concerned with ordinary affairs, work, etc
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adapted or adaptable for use
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of, involving, or trained by practice
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being such for all useful or general purposes; virtual
noun
Usage
A distinction is usually made between practical and practicable. Practical refers to a person, idea, project, etc, as being more concerned with or relevant to practice than theory: he is a very practical person; the idea had no practical application. Practicable refers to a project or idea as being capable of being done or put into effect: the plan was expensive, yet practicable
Related Words
Practical, judicious, sensible refer to good judgment in action, conduct, and the handling of everyday matters. Practical suggests the ability to adopt means to an end or to turn what is at hand to account: to adopt practical measures for settling problems. Judicious implies the possession and use of discreet judgment, discrimination, and balance: a judicious use of one's time. Sensible implies the possession and use of sound reason and shrewd common sense: a sensible suggestion.
Other Word Forms
- nonpractical adjective
- nonpractically adverb
- nonpracticalness noun
- practicality noun
- practicalness noun
- prepractical adjective
- quasi-practical adjective
- quasi-practically adverb
- semipractical adjective
- ultrapractical adjective
Etymology
Origin of practical
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English. See practic, -al 1
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.
"Careful thought must be given to how the proposals translate into practical support - including recruitment and retention strong enough to meet growing needs," he says.
From BBC
For many of them, school was a practical step toward a career or transfer, not a social experience.
But this corner of the travel internet is still the place for practical advice from ordinary travelers who have been there, done that.
First — and this is embarrassingly practical — I was a child.
From Salon
The petitioners say they have proposed practical alternatives to handing over staff lists to Israel, including "independent sanctions screening" and "donor-audited vetting systems."
From Barron's
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.
