practicality

Rarely prac·ti·cal·ness

[prak-ti-kal-i-tee]

noun

plural

practicalities 

1. the quality of being adapted or designed for actual use; usefulness or convenience.

   Your home furniture choices should be based on practicality, durability, and beauty.

2. interest in or inclination toward actual work or activity as opposed to theories or ideas.

   My mother was an entrepreneur whose tremendous vision, teamed with her practicality, “moved mountains.”

3. a detail or consideration involved in putting something into action.

   She talked with culinary students about their dreams as well as the practicalities of launching a food business.

4. the constraints or demands of real life or actual implementation.

   Economy and practicality dictate that we can't save every green space from development.

5. the quality or fact of relating to actual activity, especially ordinary or everyday activity.

   I appreciate the real-world practicality of the question, “What does it mean to be a father?”

Other Word Forms

• nonpracticality noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of practicality¹

practical ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )

Example Sentences

The practicalities of providing such support are beyond the scope of our study.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“There’s a lack of practicality and a vulnerability about it.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Residents of The Mather pay up for luxuries, but they still embody a Midwestern sensibility of practicality and not flashy spending.

Read more on Barron's

Residents of The Mather pay up for luxuries, but they still embody a Midwestern sensibility of practicality and not flashy spending.

Read more on Barron's

What she heard was a lot of practicality.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• common-sense