| Library / English Dictionary |
PRACTICAL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Having or put to a practical purpose or use
Example:
practical applications of calculus
Classified under:
Similar:
applied (concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Concerned with actual use or practice
Example:
woodworking is a practical art
Classified under:
Similar:
applicative; applicatory (readily applicable or practical)
functional (designed for or adapted to a function or use)
interoperable (able to exchange and use information)
matter-of-fact; pragmatic; pragmatical (concerned with practical matters)
operable; practicable (usable for a specific purpose)
serviceable (intended or able to serve a purpose without elaboration)
unimaginative (dealing only with concrete facts)
working (adequate for practical use; especially sufficient in strength or numbers to accomplish something)
Also:
concrete (capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary)
possible (capable of happening or existing)
realistic (aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are)
serviceable (ready for service or able to give long service)
Attribute:
practicality (concerned with actual use rather than theoretical possibilities)
Antonym:
impractical (not practical; not workable or not given to practical matters)
Derivation:
practicality (concerned with actual use rather than theoretical possibilities)
practice (a customary way of operation or behavior)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory
Example:
not ideology but pragmatic politics
Synonyms:
hard-nosed; hardheaded; practical; pragmatic
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
realistic (aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are)
Derivation:
practicality (concerned with actual use rather than theoretical possibilities)
practice (a customary way of operation or behavior)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Being actually such in almost every respect
Example:
the once elegant temple lay in virtual ruin
Synonyms:
practical; virtual
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
realistic (aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are)
Context examples:
This feeds into the scholarly discussion of whether the purpose of the statues was exclusively ritualistic, practical or some combination of these.
(Scientists report correlation between locations of Easter Island statues and water resources, Wikinews)
The application of genetics techniques to solve practical problems.
(Applied Genetics, NCI Thesaurus)
Performance of a practical work or of something involving the practical application of principles or processes.
(Operation, NCI Thesaurus)
This writing of yours is not practical.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
The power performance also needs to be improved by about 1,000-fold for most practical applications.
(New Type of Battery Created from Paper, Fueled by Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Because the full moon is in earth-sign Taurus, it will urge you to be practical and realistic about your current situation.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
Ah! this is practical—this is real! he cried: I should never dream that.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
My first idea was that I had been the victim of some absurd practical joke.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Performance of a practical work or of something involving the practical application of principles or processes that is not otherwise specified.
(Operation, Not Otherwise Specified, NCI Thesaurus)
My new life had lasted for more than a week, and I was stronger than ever in those tremendous practical resolutions that I felt the crisis required.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
