pragmatic
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
- pragmatick (archaic)
- pragmatique (obsolete)
Etymology[edit]
From French pragmatique, from Late Latin pragmaticus (“relating to civil affair; in Latin, as a noun, a person versed in the law who furnished arguments and points to advocates and orators, a kind of attorney”), from Ancient Greek πραγματικός (pragmatikós, “active, versed in affairs”), from πρᾶγμα (pragma, “a thing done, a fact”), in plural πράγματα (prágmata, “affairs, state affairs, public business, etc.”), from πράσσειν (prassein, “to do”) (whence English practical).
Pronunciation[edit]
Adjective[edit]
pragmatic (comparative more pragmatic, superlative most pragmatic)
- Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.
- The sturdy furniture in the student lounge was pragmatic, but unattractive.
- philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature.
- Sir W. Hamilton
- Pragmatic history.
- M. Arnold
- Pragmatic poetry.
- Sir W. Hamilton
Synonyms[edit]
- (practical): down-to-earth, functional, practical, utilitarian, realistic
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
practical
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External links[edit]
- pragmatic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- pragmatic in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
