practicable

practicable
practicable, practical
Practical usually has a general application, denoting what is possible in practice as distinct from theory, and can also describe a person (‘inclined to action rather than speculation, able to make things work well’), whereas practicable means ‘able to be carried out, feasible’, is more usually applied to a particular instance under consideration, and occurs much less often in attributive position (before a noun):

• I need to be practical but would like to look feminine as well —Clothes Show, 1991

• Woodblock has been used for a beautiful, yet practical, floor covering —Ideal Home, 1991

• As long as is practicable, therapy should be continued, even in patients with advanced disease —American Family Physician, 2000.

The negative forms are discussed at the entry for impracticable, impractical.

Modern English usage. 2014.

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  • Practicable — Prac ti*ca*ble, a. [LL. practicare to act, transact, fr. L. practicus active, Gr. ?: cf. F. practicable, pratiquer to practice. See {Practical}.] 1. That may be practiced or performed; capable of being done or accomplished with available means or …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • practicable — 1 feasible, *possible Analogous words: operating or operable, working or workable, functioning (see corresponding verbs at ACT) Antonyms: impracticable 2 Practicable, practical are not close synonyms and not interchangeable, but they are… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • practicable — I adjective achievable, attainable, capable of being done, doable, effectible, feasible, not too difficult, obtainable, operable, performable, possible, practical, realizable, reasonable, within reach, within the bounds of possibility, workable… …   Law dictionary

  • practicable — practicable, practicably Practicable is that which may be done, practiced, or accomplished; that which is performable, feasible, possible; and the adverb practicably means in a practicable manner. Within liability policy providing that when… …   Black's law dictionary

  • practicable — ► ADJECTIVE ▪ able to be done or put into practice successfully. DERIVATIVES practicability noun practicably adverb. USAGE Although they are related, practicable and practical do not mean exactly the same thing: practicable means ‘able to be done …   English terms dictionary

  • practicable — [prak′ti kə bəl] adj. [altered (based on PRACTICE) < Fr praticable < pratiquer] 1. that can be done or put into practice; feasible [a practicable plan] 2. that can be used; usable; useful [a practicable tool] SYN. POSSIBLEPRACTICAL… …   English World dictionary

  • practicable — (adj.) 1640s (implied in practicableness), from M.Fr. pratiquable (1590s), from pratiquer to practice, from M.L. practicare to practice (see PRACTICAL (Cf. practical)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • practicable — [adj] within the realm of possibility accessible, achievable, applicable, attainable, doable, employable, feasible, functional, handy, open, operative, performable, possible, practical, serviceable, usable, useful, utile, utilizable, viable,… …   New thesaurus

  • practicable — 1. adj. Que se puede practicar o poner en práctica. 2. Dicho de un camino, de una carretera, etc.: transitables. 3. Dicho de una puerta u otro accesorio: En el decorado teatral, que no es meramente figurado, sino que puede usarse. U. t. c. s. m.) …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • practicable — adj. (formal) VERBS ▪ be, prove, seem ▪ become ADVERB ▪ perfectly ▪ reasonably …   Collocations dictionary

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