practical

English

Etymology

From Middle English practical, practicale, praktycall, from Medieval Latin practicālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹæktɪkəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: prac‧ti‧cal

Adjective

practical (comparative more practical, superlative most practical)

1. Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis.

   Jack didn't get an engineering degree, but has practical knowledge of metalworking.

   Modern engineering applies science to practical problems.

2. Being likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation; able to be put to use

   Jack's knowledge has the practical benefit of giving us useful prototype parts.

3. Of a person, having skills or knowledge that are practical

   All in all, Jack's a very practical chap.

4. (theater, not comparable) Of a prop: having some degree of functionality, rather than being a mere imitation.
5. (film) Light fixtures used for set lighting and seen in the frame of a shot as part of the scenery.

   Practical lighting can help sell the illusion that the film is a real situation.

Usage notes

Example of use contrasted with practicable:

• "While others might agree that it was practical to rewrite the entire section, it was not truly practicable given other considerations."

Antonyms

• (based on practice or action): theoretical
• (likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation): impractical
• (of a person): impractical

Derived terms

• practicality
• practically

Related terms

• practicable
• practice
• practise
• practitioner
• pragmatic

Translations

based on practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis

• Armenian: գործնական (hy) (gorcnakan), պրակտիկ (hy) (praktik)
• Bulgarian: практичен (bg) (praktičen)
• Catalan: pràctic (ca)
• Czech: praktický (cs)
• Dutch: praktisch (nl)
• Esperanto: praktika
• Finnish: käytännön-
• French: pratique (fr)
• Galician: práctico m
• German: praktisch (de)
• Greek: πρακτικός (el) m (praktikós)
• Hebrew: מעשי‎
• Hungarian: gyakorlati (hu)
• Italian: pratico (it)

• Japanese: 実践的な (jissen-teki na)
• Korean: 실질적인 (siljiljeogin)
• Persian: پراتیک‎ (fa) (prâtik)
• Polish: praktyczny (pl)
• Portuguese: prático (pt)
• Romanian: practic (ro)
• Russian: практи́ческий (ru) (praktíčeskij)
• Spanish: práctico (es)
• Swedish: praktisk (sv)
• Tagalog: panggamitin
• Ukrainian: практи́чний (praktýčnyj)
• Volapük: plagik (vo)
• Yiddish: פּראַקטיש‎ (praktish)

being likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation

• Arabic: عَمَلِيّ‎ m (ʿamaliyy)
• Armenian: գործնական (hy) (gorcnakan), պրակտիկ (hy) (praktik)
• Bulgarian: използваем (bg) (izpolzvaem), целесъобразен (bg) (celesǎobrazen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使用的 (shǐyòng de)

• Dutch: praktisch (nl)
• Finnish: käytännöllinen (fi), käytännönläheinen
• Georgian: პრაქტიკული (ṗrakṭiḳuli)
• German: praktisch (de)
• Greek: πρακτικός (el) m (praktikós), χρήσιμος (el) m (chrísimos)

• Hebrew: ישים‎, בר-ישום‎
• Hungarian: praktikus (hu), célszerű (hu), hasznos (hu), ügyes (hu)
• Indonesian: praktis (id)
• Italian: concreto (it), reale (it)
• Japanese: 実用的な (じつようてきな, jitsuyou-teki na)
• Korean: 현실적인 (hyeonsiljeogin)
• Polish: praktyczny (pl)
• Russian: практи́ческий (ru) m (praktíčeskij)
• Swedish: praktisk (sv)
• Tagalog: maisasagawa
• Ukrainian: практи́чний (praktýčnyj)

having skills or knowledge that are practical

• Armenian: գործիմաց (hy) (gorcimacʿ), պրակտիկ (hy) (praktik)
• Bulgarian: практичен (bg) (praktičen)
• Czech: praktický (cs) m
• Dutch: praktisch (nl)
• Finnish: käytännöllinen (fi)
• German: praktisch (de)
• Greek: πρακτικός (el) m (praktikós)
• Hungarian: gyakorlatias (hu), élelmes (hu)

• Italian: funzionale (it)
• Japanese: 実務経験のある (jitsumu-keiken no aru), 経験豊かな (けいけんゆたかな, keiken yutaka na)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: praktisk

  Nynorsk: praktisk

• Russian: практи́чный (ru) (praktíčnyj)
• Swedish: praktisk (sv)
• Tagalog: maisasagawa

Noun

practical (plural practicals)

1. (Britain) A part of an exam or series of exams in which the candidate has to demonstrate their practical ability
2. (theater) A prop that has some degree of functionality, rather than being a mere imitation.
   • 2013, Deena Kaye, ‎James LeBrecht, Sound and Music for the Theatre: The Art & Technique of Design

     Practicals are used onstage as they would be used in real life. If the sound cue is to be from a radio or television, give qualities to the recording that will maintain the sense of the medium.

3. (film) A light fixture used for set lighting and seen in the frame of a shot as part of the scenery.
   • 2001, Francis Reid, The Stage Lighting Handbook (page 124)

     A naturalistic set is normally dressed with all the furnishings and props to be found in a real room. This includes electric light fittings which, when they actually light, are known as practicals.

4. Laboratory experiment, test or investigation

Translations

a part of an exam or series of exams in which the candidate has to demonstrate their practical ability

• Bulgarian: практика (bg) f (praktika)
• German: Praktikum (de) n
• Hungarian: (the course) gyakorlat (hu), szeminárium (hu), gyakorlati kurzus, (the exam itself) gyakorlati vizsga

• Indonesian: praktikum (id)

Further reading

• practical in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• practical in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911