practical
1prac·ti·cal
adj \ˈprak-ti-kəl\Definition of PRACTICAL
1
2
: actively engaged in some course of action or occupation <a practical farmer>
3
: capable of being put to use or account : useful <he had a practical knowledge of French>
4
a : disposed to action as opposed to speculation or abstraction b (1) : qualified by practice or practical training <a good practical mechanic> (2) : designed to supplement theoretical training by experience
5
: concerned with voluntary action and ethical decisions <practical reason>
— prac·ti·cal·i·ty \ˌprak-ti-ˈka-lə-tē\ noun
— prac·ti·cal·ness \ˈprak-ti-kəl-nəs\ noun
See Examples of PRACTICAL
- We can speculate about the future, but on a more practical level, we have to admit that we simply don't know what will happen.
- An engineer will address the design's practical problems.
- She has a lot of practical experience in dealing with these kinds of problems.
- The books suggests some practical ways to save money.
- practical solutions to complicated problems
- He thinks wind can be a practical source of renewable energy.
- The machine is too big to be practical for most private homes.
- The shoes are nice, but they're not very practical.
- The book is a practical guide to car care.
- He gave me some practical advice on finding a job.
Origin of PRACTICAL
Middle English, from Late Latin practicus, from Greek praktikos, from prassein to pass over, fare, do; akin to Greek peran to pass through — more at fare
First Known Use: 15th century
Related to PRACTICAL
Synonyms: actionable, applicable, applicative, applied, functional, practicable, serviceable, ultrapractical, usable (also useable), useful, workable, working
Related Words: down-to-earth, pragmatic (also pragmatical), utilitarian; banausic, mundane; accessible, available, obtainable, reachable; all-around (also all-round), handy; active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, operating, operative
Near Antonyms: abstract, academic (also academical), armchair, theoretical (also theoretic); inaccessible, unattainable, unavailable, unobtainable, unreachable; unsuitable
Rhymes with PRACTICAL
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