practical

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Related to practical: Practical Magic

practical

pragmatic; suited to actual conditions; useful; sensible: a practical person

Not to be confused with:

practicable – workable, achievable, attainable; feasible: a practicable solution to the problem

prac·ti·cal

(prăk′tĭ-kəl)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, governed by, or acquired through practice or action, rather than theory or speculation: gained practical experience of sailing as a deck hand.

2. Manifested in or involving practice: practical applications of calculus.

3. Capable of or suitable to being used or put into effect; useful: practical knowledge of Japanese. See Usage Note at practicable.

4. Concerned with the production or operation of something useful: Woodworking is a practical art.

5. Having or showing good judgment; sensible: If we're practical, we can do the job quickly.

6. Being actually so in almost every respect; virtual: The snowstorm was a practical disaster.

[Middle English practicale, from Medieval Latin prācticālis, from prāctica, practice; see practicable.]

prac′ti·cal′i·ty (-kăl′ĭ-tē), prac′ti·cal·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

practical

(ˈpræktɪkəl)

adj

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

(Education) an examination in the practical skills of a subject: a science practical.

[C17: from earlier practic, from French pratique, via Late Latin from Greek praktikos, from prassein to experience, negotiate, perform]

ˌpractiˈcality, ˈpracticalness n

Usage: 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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

prac•ti•cal

(ˈpræk tɪ kəl)

adj.

1. pertaining to or concerned with practice or action: practical mathematics.

2. consisting of, involving, or resulting from practice or action: a practical application of a rule.

3. adapted or suited for actual use; useful or utilitarian: practical instructions; a practical vinyl floor.

4. inclined toward or fitted for action or useful activities.

5. mindful of the results, usefulness, etc., of action or procedure; sensible.

6. of or concerned with ordinary activities or work: practical affairs.

7. engaged or experienced in actual practice or work: a practical politician.

8. matter-of-fact; prosaic.

9. being such in practice or effect: a practical certainty.

10. (of a stage property) constructed for use as a real object; practicable: practical water faucets.

[1375–1425; late Middle English practik practical < Latin prācticus < Greek prāktikós]

prac`ti•cal′i•ty, prac′ti•cal•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	practical - concerned with actual use or practice; "he is a very practical person"; "the idea had no practical application"; "a practical knowledge of Japanese"; "woodworking is a practical art" concrete - capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary; "concrete objects such as trees" possible - capable of happening or existing; "a breakthrough may be possible next year"; "anything is possible"; "warned of possible consequences" realistic - aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans" serviceable - ready for service or able to give long service; "serviceable equipment"; "heavy serviceable fabrics" impractical - not practical; not workable or not given to practical matters; "refloating the ship proved impractical because of the expense"; "he is intelligent but too impractical for commercial work"; "an impractical solution"
	2.	practical - 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" hard-nosed, hardheaded, pragmatic realistic - aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans"
	3.	practical - being actually such in almost every respect; "a practical failure"; "the once elegant temple lay in virtual ruin" virtual realistic - aware or expressing awareness of things as they really are; "a realistic description"; "a realistic view of the possibilities"; "a realistic appraisal of our chances"; "the actors tried to create a realistic portrayal of the Africans"
	4.	practical - having or put to a practical purpose or use; "practical mathematics"; "practical applications of calculus" applied - concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles; "applied physics"; "applied psychology"; "technical problems in medicine, engineering, economics and other applied disciplines"- Sidney Hook

practical

adjective

1. functional, efficient, realistic, pragmatic practical suggestions on how to improve your diet
functional unrealistic, inefficient, impractical, impracticable

2. empirical, real, applied, actual, hands-on, in the field, experimental, factual theories based on practical knowledge
empirical theoretical, speculative, unpractical

3. sensible, ordinary, realistic, down-to-earth, mundane, matter-of-fact, no-nonsense, businesslike, hard-headed, workaday She is always so practical and full of common sense.
sensible unrealistic, impractical

4. feasible, possible, sound, viable, constructive, workable, practicable, doable We do not yet have any practical way to prevent cancer.
feasible impossible, useless, impractical, unworkable, unsound, unpractical

5. useful, ordinary, appropriate, sensible, everyday, functional, utilitarian, serviceable clothes which are practical as well as stylish

6. skilled, working, seasoned, trained, experienced, qualified, veteran, efficient, accomplished, proficient people with practical experience of running businesses
skilled inexperienced, inefficient, unskilled, unqualified, untrained, unaccomplished

Usage: 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.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

practical

adjective

1. Resulting from experience or practice:

practiced.

2. Serving or capable of serving a useful purpose:

functional, handy, practicable, serviceable, useful, utilitarian.

3. Having or indicating an awareness of things as they really are:

down-to-earth, hard, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, objective, pragmatic, pragmatical, prosaic, realistic, sober, tough-minded, unromantic.

4. Involved in the essential nature of something but not shown or developed:

implicit, virtual.

Translations

عَمَليعَمَلِيّفَعّال، مُفيدقادِر على التَّعامُل مع الأمور

praktickýužitečný

praktiskfornuftig

praktisch tatsächlich durchführbar geschickt

πρακτικός

práctico

käytännöllinen

pratique réel

praktičan

praktis

framkvæmdar-hagnÿtursem er séîur, sem hefur verksvit

pratico utilitario esame pratico funzionale

実務経験のある実用的な実践的な実際的な経験豊かな

실용적인

praktinio pobūdžiopraktiškaipraktiškumas

efektīvslietderīgslietišķslietojamspraktisks

praktičensmotrnuporaben

praktisk

เหมาะสมที่จะปฏิบัติ

pratikuygulamalıyararlı beceriklielinden iş gelir

thực tế

实际的有实践经验的有用的实用的

practical

[ˈpræktɪkəl]

A. ADJ

1. (= not theoretical) → práctico
the practical applications of this research → las aplicaciones prácticas de estas investigaciones
I did better in the written exam than in the practical test → la prueba escrita me salió mejor que la práctica
for all practical purposes → a efectos prácticos
in practical terms → en términos prácticos
to put one's knowledge to practical use → hacer uso de or poner en práctica sus conocimientos
the information was of no practical use → la información no tenía ninguna utilidad práctica

2. (= sensible) [person] → práctico
let's be practical (about this) → seamos prácticos (con respecto a esto)

3. (= feasible) → factible
what's the most practical way of doing this? → ¿cuál es la forma más factible de hacer esto?

4. (= useful, functional) [clothing, suggestion, guide] → práctico
shoes which are both practical and stylish → zapatos mpl que son prácticos y a la vez tienen estilo
his clothes weren't very practical for wet weather → su ropa no era muy práctica or apropiada or adecuada para la lluvia

5. (= virtual)
it's a practical certainty → es casi seguro

B. N (Scol, Univ) (= exam) → examen m práctico; (= lesson) → práctica f

C. CPD practical joke N → broma f
to play a practical joke on sb → gastar una broma a algn
practical joker N → bromista mf
practical nurse N (US) → enfermero/a m/f práctica or sin título

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

practical

[ˈpræktɪk^əl]

adj

(= not theoretical) [suggestion, advice, experience, guidebook, application] → pratique
a practical suggestion → un conseil pratique

[person, mind, common sense] → pratique
to be practical (= realistic) [person] → avoir du sens pratique
Let's be practical → Soyons pratiques.
to be practical (= good with one's hands) → avoir du sens pratique
He's very practical → Il a beaucoup de sens pratique.
I'm not at all practical → Je n'ai aucun sens pratique.

(= viable) [idea, method] → réalisable
it wouldn't be practical to do sth → ce ne serait pas réalisable de faire qch
to become practical → devenir réalisable

(= functional) [clothes, car] → pratique
Uniforms should be cheap and practical → Les uniformes doivent être pratiques et bon marché.

(= virtual) to be a practical certainty → être pratiquement certain

n (= exam) → épreuve f pratique (= lesson) → travaux mpl pratiques

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

practical

adj

→ praktisch; person → praktisch (veranlagt); to have a practical mind → praktisch denken; his ideas have no practical application → seine Ideen sind nicht praxisnah or sind praktisch nicht anwendbar; for (all) practical purposes → in der Praxis; to be of no practical use → ohne (jeden) praktischen Nutzen sein

(= handy) → praktisch; they are both very practical about the house → sie sind beide sehr geschickt or praktisch in allem, was in einem Haus anfällt

(= virtual) it was a practical certainty → es war praktisch eine Gewissheit

practical

practical joke

n → Streich m

practical joker

n → Witzbold m (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

practical

[ˈpræktɪk/əl] adj (gen) → pratico/a
for all practical purposes → in pratica, agli effetti pratici
he's very practical → è un tipo molto pratico

practical

(ˈprӕktikəl) adjective

1. concerned with the doing of something. practical difficulties; His knowledge is practical rather than theoretical.

2. (of a thing, idea etc) useful; effective. You must try to find a practical answer to the problem.

3. (negative unpractical) (of a person) able to do or deal with things well or efficiently. He can look after himself – he's a very practical child.

ˌpractiˈcality (ˈkӕ-) noun

ˈpractically adverb

1. almost. The room was practically full.

2. in a practical way. Practically, it's more difficult than you think.

practical joke

a usually irritating joke consisting of an action done to someone, rather than a story told. He nailed my chair to the floor as a practical joke.

practical

→ عَمَلِيّ praktický praktisk praktisch πρακτικός práctico käytännöllinen pratique praktičan pratico 実際的な 실용적인 praktisch praktisk praktyczny prático практический praktisk เหมาะสมที่จะปฏิบัติ pratik thực tế 实际的

practical

a. practico-a, funcional, efectivo-a.

Practical information → Praktické informace → Praktiske oplysninger → Praktische Informationen → Información práctica → Käytännön tietoja → Renseignements pratiques → Praktične informacije → Informazioni pratiche → 実際的な情報 → 실용 정보 → Praktische informatie → Praktisk informasjon → Informacje praktyczne → Informações práticas → Praktisk information → Pratik bilgiler → Thông tin thực tiễn → 实用信息

References in classic literature ?

He was an affectionate father, after his manner; but he would probably have described himself (if he had been put, like Sissy Jupe, upon a definition) as 'an eminently practical' father.

View in context

'Why, the fact is,' said Mr Meagles, 'Mrs Meagles and myself are, you see, practical people.'

View in context

It is not practical. I should like to see him clapped down in a third class carriage on the Underground, and asked to give the trades of all his fellow-travellers.

View in context

In continental Greece (1), on the other hand, but especially in Boeotia, a new form of epic sprang up, which for the romance and PATHOS of the Ionian School substituted the practical and matter-of-fact.

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In contact with German social conditions, this French literature lost all its immediate practical significance, and assumed a purely literary aspect.

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"Yes, I'm practical," she murmured, stooping over the mowing-machine and playing with the grass which trickled through her fingers like sand.

View in context

Now, it is well known that it makes a great deal of difference when you would qualify any one in any art, for the person himself to learn the practical part of it; for it is a thing very difficult, if not impossible, for a man to be a good judge of what he himself cannot do.

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would 'a' ben the practical one if he'd 'a' lived."

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When the doubt and confusion were at their worst, Vail wrote an open letter to his stock-holders, in his practical, farmer-like way.

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Marriage with the men and women of his world was a practical business, arranged and conducted by practical people, who lived practical lives, and died practical deaths.

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When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks.

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"I can't help that," the Man of Principle replied, with that lofty scorn of practical considerations distinguishing his species.