practical

[prak-ti-kuh l] /ˈpræk tɪ kəl/
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 Middle English. See practic, -al1
Related forms
practicality, practicalness, noun
nonpractical, adjective
nonpractically, adverb
nonpracticalness, noun
nonpracticality, noun
prepractical, adjective
quasi-practical, adjective
quasi-practically, adverb
semipractical, adjective
ultrapractical, adjective
Can be confused
possible, practicable, practical (see synonym study at possible; see synonym study at the current entry)
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.
Examples from the web for practical
  • If this yield proves realistic, it could make it practical to replace all fossil fuels used for transportation with biofuels.
  • It is just that their solutions these days need to be practical and local, free of grand theories and manifestos.
  • The premise of this very funny and practical book is that your quality of life increases as your spending decreases.
  • Some want a more comfortable, practical bike for daily use.
  • Here are some new approaches — imaginative, practical.
  • And there were practical considerations.
  • He uses inspiration mixed with practical advice.
  • Building a practical quantum computer will be hard.
  • There were also practical reasons for wearing masks on stage.
  • There's a lot of new information from both the practical world as well as the scientific world that is coming together.
British Dictionary definitions for practical

practical

/ˈpræktɪkəl/
adjective
1.
of, involving, or concerned with experience or actual use; not theoretical
2.
of or concerned with ordinary affairs, work, etc
3.
adapted or adaptable for use
4.
of, involving, or trained by practice
5.
being such for all useful or general purposes; virtual
noun
6.
an examination in the practical skills of a subject: a science practical
Derived Forms
practicality, practicalness, noun
Usage note
A distinction is usually made between practical and practicable. Practical refers to a person, idea, project, etc, as being more concerned with or relevant to practice than theory: he is a very practical person; the idea had no practical application. Practicable refers to a project or idea as being capable of being done or put into effect: the plan was expensive, yet practicable
Word Origin
C17: from earlier practic, from French pratique, via Late Latin from Greek praktikos, from prassein to experience, negotiate, perform
Word Origin and History for practical
adj.

early 15c., practicale "of or pertaining to matters of practice; applied," with -al (1) + earlier practic (adj.) "dealing with practical matters, applied, not merely theoretical" (early 15c.), or practic (n.) "method, practice, use" (late 14c.). In some cases directly from Old French practique (adj.) "fit for action," earlier pratique (13c.) and Medieval Latin practicalis, from Late Latin practicus "practical, active," from Greek praktikos "fit for action, fit for business; business-like, practical; active, effective, vigorous," from praktos "done; to be done," verbal adjective of prassein, prattein "to do, act, effect, accomplish."

Idioms and Phrases with practical

practical

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