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practical

practical

507 2.6
About how something works in real life rather than in ideas
  • adjective
  • /ˈpræktɪkəl/
translation icon : práctico
  • He prefers to focus on practical solutions rather than theoretical discussions.
  • practical application
  • practical advice
  • practical skills

It's just not, it's not practical, you know, it's just not.

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Examples

  • Full length mirrors are such a practical item that people use so much.

  • Instead, encouraging patients to take small practical steps themselves is the best way forward.

    Academic text (2015)
  • So what now is the practical bottom line of all of this?

  • And there are three practical ways that you can do this.

  • But if you want a fun, practical car, they exist.

  • So what are the practical steps to inner peace?

  • In practical terms, East Tower is not an issue.

  • More importantly, students will need chances to explore the practical applications of their newly learned words.

    Academic text (2011)
  • This is the most practical thing I've ever worn.

  • Third, many eligible employees cannot make practical use of FMLA leave because it is unpaid.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

pragmatic
vspractical
64 6.3

Being practical and realistic when solving problems

is concerned with real situations and actual usefulness rather than theory
pragmatical
vspractical
  • Archaic
7.9

Dealing with problems in a sensible, practical way to get results

is identical in meaning but differs as a less common form

Antonyms

133 6.3

Relating to ideas and basic rules rather than practical use

38 5.3

Not sensible or likely to work in real life

Idioms

In most real situations it is true even if not by the rules

Compounds

A trick played on someone to make others laugh

Putting an idea or theory to use in real life

A person who plays funny tricks on other people

practical nurse
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A trained health worker who gives basic care to sick people under a senior health worker

Actions by people in government that focus on solving real problems, not ideas

1 3.5

A trained health worker allowed by the state to give basic medical care under a doctor or senior medical worker

How Practical

pragmatic
64 6.3
hands-on
92 3.9
practical
507 2.6
useful
947 1.0
academic
383 4.2
theoretical
133 6.3

Surface Forms

practical positive
practicaler comparative
practicalest superlative

Morphology

practical = practice (semi-transparent) = practice + al

The word is clearly built from 'practice' + '-al', but its sense has generalized from 'relating to practice' to a broader idea of usefulness or real-world application.

Etymology

Practical comes from the same root as practice, based on a word meaning 'to do', so the word keeps the idea of action and use; that's why practical describes things or advice that are useful and work in real life.