Question 1 · Quick check
pragmatic
/pɹæɡˈmætɪk/
adjective · noun
Türkçe translations
Translating…
In plain English
- 01
adjective
Dealing with problems in a practical way.
- 02
adjective
Extra detailInterfering in the affairs of others; officious; meddlesome.
Examples
I agree on an emotional level, but on the pragmatic level I disagree.
I have been told that I am pragmatic, and I am.
At a glance
Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale
- Senses
- 5
- Parts of speech
- 2
- Citations
- 4
- Synonyms
- 5
Deep Dive
adjective
Extra meaningsPhilosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature.
Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory.
noun
Extra meaningA man of business.
More examples
In contextThe sturdy furniture in the student lounge was pragmatic, but unattractive.
Another increasing concern with both ideological and pragmatic elements related to the situation of wickerworkers.
Polybius’s pragmatic history is simply the history of affairs, as distinguished from the descriptive and often poetical character which much history before his time had.
Related
Quick test
Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.
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Nearby
Origin
adjective
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).