pragmatic
English
Alternative forms
- pragmatick (archaic)
- pragmatique (obsolete)
Etymology
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
Adjective
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
- (practical): down-to-earth, functional, practical, utilitarian, realistic
Antonyms
Derived terms
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Related terms
Translations
practical
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External links
- pragmatic in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- pragmatic in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911