pragmatic
prag·ma·tic
adjective
of or concerning the theory of pragmatism
guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory
- “a hardheaded appraisal of our position”
- “a hard-nosed labor leader”
- “completely practical in his approach to business”
- “not ideology but pragmatic politics”
Origin
From Middle French pragmatique, from Late Latin pragmaticus (“relating to civil affair; in Latin, as a noun, a person versed in the law who furnished arguments and points to advocates and orators, a kind of attorney”), from Ancient Greek πραγματικός (pragmatikós, “active, versed in affairs”), from πρᾶγμα (prâgma, “a thing done, a fact”), in plural πράγματα (prágmata, “affairs, state affairs, public business, etc.”), from πράσσω (prássō, “to do”) (whence English practical).
Phrases
- pragmatic sanction
- semantic-pragmatic disorder
Related words
Pertaining to
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.