Dictionary
pragmatic
adjective prag·mat·ic \prag-ˈma-tik\
: dealing with the problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas and theories
Full Definition of PRAGMATIC
1
2
: relating to matters of fact or practical affairs often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters : practical as opposed to idealistic <pragmatic men of power have had no time or inclination to deal with … social morality — K. B. Clark>
3
: relating to or being in accordance with philosophical pragmatism(see pragmatism)
— pragmatic noun
— prag·mat·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Variants of PRAGMATIC
prag·mat·ic also prag·mat·i·cal \-ti-kəl\
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Examples of PRAGMATIC
- … their pragmatic successors like Benjamin Franklin were concerned with lightning's … power but not its thrilling scenic value. —John Updike, New York Review of Books, 15 Aug. 2002
- … NASA has two coexisting personae with vastly distinct characters: the somewhat romantically motivated manned space program, and the rather more pragmatic unmanned program. —David H. Freedman, Discover, July 1994
- … pragmatic enough to have held on to their day jobs for years after they were putting out records. —Chris Mundy, Rolling Stone, 16 Sept. 1993
- … and her mysticism never failed to exasperate her pragmatic, mountain-climbing daughter. —Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, 1989
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Origin of PRAGMATIC
Latin pragmaticus skilled in law or business, from Greek pragmatikos, from pragmat-, pragma deed, from prassein to do — more at practical
First Known Use: 1616
Related to PRAGMATIC
- Synonyms
- down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, practical, realistic (also pragmatical)
- Antonyms
- blue-sky, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, utopian, visionary
Rhymes with PRAGMATIC
agnatic, aquatic, asthmatic, Carnatic, chromatic, climatic, comatic, dalmatic, dogmatic, dramatic, ecstatic, emphatic, erratic, eustatic, fanatic, hepatic, judgmatic, komatik, lymphatic, magmatic, neumatic, phlegmatic, plasmatic, pneumatic, prismatic, protatic, quadratic, rheumatic, schematic, schismatic, sciatic, Socratic, somatic, spermatic, stigmatic, sylvatic, thematic, traumatic, villatic
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