practicality

American  

[prak-ti-kal-i-tee] / ˌpræk tɪˈkæl ɪ ti /

Rarely practicalness

noun

• practicalities
  plural

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?”

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpracticality
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• practicalities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of practicality

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

Explanation

Something that demonstrates practicality makes good sense. If you choose your new shoes based on their practicality, you'll probably buy a pair of sneakers, rather than knee-high boots with five inch heels. A person's practicality can also be called common sense, and an object or action's practicality has to do with how efficient or suitable it is. The practicality of doctors carefully washing their hands before surgery is clear, while the practicality of dressing your dog in a ballerina costume is less so. The root of practicality is practical, which in turn comes from the Old French word practique, "fit for action."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

practicality practicalities

Double sauce is not necessary, but I like a little indulgence underscoring the practicality of a packable meal.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

However, liquid systems often require toxic solvents and may evaporate over time, limiting their practicality.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

In a country that esteemed practicality, fiction was enlisted to speak directly to a cause.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

"It's a simple fact of people wanting more practicality these days," he explains.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

To be sure, the newcomers accepted the practicality of deerskin robes as opposed to, say, fitted British suits.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Now this group is discussing the practicalities of the day itself, 22 August.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Wilde in particular lights up during this section, Angela’s mind racing at possibilities she never considered for herself while fumbling over the practicalities of protocols and just how this would work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

The difficult practicalities of the creative life are the subject of Mason Currey’s lively, engaging “Making Art and Making a Living.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

And then there are the practicalities of dealing with a puppy in a school.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

Whether this process would produce explosions or merely heat became the focus of a rather abstract debate, for the practicalities of harnessing the energy were elusive.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• common-sense