English Explanatory Dictionary

pragmatic

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.
  2. Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature.
  3. Interfering in the affairs of others; officious; meddlesome.
noun
  1. A man of business.
  2. A busybody.
  3. A public decree.

Pronunciation

/pɹæɡˈmætɪk/ en-us-pragmatic.ogg

Word forms

pragmatic more pragmatic most pragmatic pragmatical pragmatick pragmatique pragmatics

Etymology

From Middle 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 (prâgma, “a thing done, a fact”), in plural πράγματα (prágmata, “affairs, state affairs, public business, etc.”), from πράσσω (prássō, “to do”) (whence English practical).

Synonyms

down-to-earth functional practical utilitarian realistic

Antonyms

idealistic

Related words

practical pragmatism pragmatist pragmatize

Derived words

antipragmatic apragmatic cyberpragmatic grammaticopragmatic lexicopragmatic metapragmatic nonpragmatic polypragmatic pragma pragmatically pragmaticism pragmaticist pragmaticistic pragmaticize pragmatics pragmatic sanction psychopragmatic semantic-pragmatic disorder sociopragmatic unpragmatic
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