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Definition of practical - 5 dictionary results

prac⋅ti⋅cal

  [prak-ti-kuhl]
Use practical in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to practice or action: practical mathematics.
2. consisting of, involving, or resulting from practice or action: a practical application of a rule.
3. of, pertaining to, or concerned with ordinary activities, business, or work: practical affairs.
4. adapted or designed for actual use; useful: practical instructions.
5. engaged or experienced in actual practice or work: a practical politician.
6. inclined toward or fitted for actual work or useful activities: a practical person.
7. mindful of the results, usefulness, advantages or disadvantages, etc., of action or procedure.
8. matter-of-fact; prosaic.
9. being such in practice or effect; virtual: a practical certainty.
10. Theater. practicable (def. 3).
Origin:
1375–1425; late ME. See practic, -al 1

Related forms:
prac⋅ti⋅cal⋅i⋅ty, prac⋅ti⋅cal⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. pragmatic. 7. Practical, judicious, sensible refer to good judgment in action, conduct, and the handling of everyday matters. Practical suggests the ability to adopt means to an end or to turn what is at hand to account: to adopt practical measures for settling problems. Judicious implies the possession and use of discreet judgment, discrimination, and balance: a judicious use of one's time. Sensible implies the possession and use of sound reason and shrewd common sense: a sensible suggestion.

Antonyms:
7. ill-advised, unwise, foolish.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To practical
prac·ti·cal   (prāk'tĭ-kəl)   
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, governed by, or acquired through practice or action, rather than theory, speculation, or ideals: gained practical experience of sailing as a deck hand.
  2. Manifested in or involving practice: practical applications of calculus.
  3. Actually engaged in a specified occupation or a certain kind of work; practicing.
  4. Capable of or suitable to being used or put into effect; useful: practical knowledge of Japanese. See Usage Note at practicable.
  5. Concerned with the production or operation of something useful: Woodworking is a practical art.
  6. Level-headed, efficient, and unspeculative.
  7. Being actually so in almost every respect; virtual: a practical disaster.

[Middle English practicale, from Medieval Latin prācticālis, from prāctica, practice; see practicable.]
prac'ti·cal'i·ty (-kāl'ĭ-tē), prac'ti·cal·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Practical

Prac"ti*cal\, a. [L. practicus active, Gr. ? fit for doing or performing, practical, active, fr. ? to do, work, effect: cf. F. pratique, formerly also practique. Cf. Pragmatic, Practice.]

1. Of or pertaining to practice or action.

2. Capable of being turned to use or account; useful, in distinction from ideal or theoretical; as, practical chemistry. "Man's practical understanding." --South. "For all practical purposes." --Macaulay.

3. Evincing practice or skill; capable of applying knowledge to some useful end; as, a practical man; a practical mind.

4. Derived from practice; as, practical skill.

Practical joke, a joke put in practice; a joke the fun of which consists in something done, in distinction from something said; esp., a trick played upon a person.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : practical
Spanish: práctico,
German: tatsächlich, praktisch,
Japanese: 実際の
More Translations »

practical 
1604, earlier practic (adj.) in same sense (c.1380), from O.Fr. practique (adj.) "fit for action," earlier pratique (13c.), from M.L. practicalis, L.L. practicus "practical," from Gk. praktikos "practical." Practically "for practical purposes, as good as" is recorded from 1748.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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practical

see to all intents and (for all practical) purposes.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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