Pragmatic

Quick meaning: Pragmatic is an adjective meaning Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.

Meaning

Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.

More Meanings

1. Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature.
2. A man of business.
3. A busybody.
4. A public decree.
5. (obsolete) Interfering in the affairs of others; officious; meddlesome.

Example Sentences

The sturdy furniture in the student lounge was pragmatic, but unattractive.

Another increasing concern with both ideological and pragmatic elements related to the situation of wickerworkers.

Polybius’s pragmatic history is simply the history of affairs, as distinguished from the descriptive and often poetical character which much history before his time had.

[…]such objects belonged to the domain of the comic poet, and of the lighter kinds of poetry. For the more serious kinds, for pragmatic poetry, to use an excellent expression of Polybius, they were more difficult and severe in the range of subjects which they permitted.

Word Forms

• pragmatical
• pragmatick
• pragmatique
• pragmatics

Synonyms for pragmatic

Depending on context, synonyms include down-to-earth, functional, practical, utilitarian, realistic, hard-nosed.

Antonyms for pragmatic

Common opposites include idealistic.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include pragmatical, practical, hard-nosed, realistic, matter-of-fact, hardheaded.

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