practical

practical
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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Synonyms:

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  • Practical — Prac ti*cal, a. [L. practicus active, Gr. ? fit for doing or performing, practical, active, fr. ? to do, work, effect: cf. F. pratique, formerly also practique. Cf. {Pragmatic}, {Practice}.] 1. Of or pertaining to practice or action. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • practical — [prak′ti kəl] adj. [ PRACTIC + AL] 1. of, exhibited in, or obtained through practice or action [practical knowledge] 2. a) usable; workable; useful and sensible [practical proposals] b) designed for use; utilitarian …   English World dictionary

  • practical — (adj.) c.1600, earlier practic (adj.) in same sense (late 14c.), from O.Fr. practique (adj.) fit for action, earlier pratique (13c.), from M.L. practicalis, L.L. practicus practical, from Gk. praktikos practical …   Etymology dictionary

  • practical — [adj1] realistic, useful applied, both feet on the ground*, businesslike, commonsensical, constructive, doable, down to earth, efficient, empirical, experimental, factual, feasible, functional, handy, hard boiled*, implicit, in action, in… …   New thesaurus

  • practical — ► ADJECTIVE 1) of or concerned with practice rather than theory. 2) likely to be effective in real circumstances; feasible. 3) suitable for a particular purpose. 4) realistic in approach. 5) skilled at manual tasks. 6) so nearly the case that it… …   English terms dictionary

  • practical — I noun adaptable, advantageous, aiding, all purpose, applicable, assisting, beneficial, commodious, conducive, convenient, effective, effectual, efficacious, efficient, employable, expedient, expediential, fitting, functional, handy, helpful,… …   Law dictionary

  • practical — *practicable …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • practical — prac|ti|cal1 W2S3 [ˈpræktıkəl] adj ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(real)¦ 2¦(effective)¦ 3¦(clear thinking)¦ 4¦(suitable)¦ 5¦(using your hands)¦ 6 for/to all practical purposes 7 practical certainty/disaster/sell out etc ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1500 1600; : Late Latin; Origin …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • practical — 1 adjective 1 CONCERNED WITH REAL SITUATIONS concerned with real situations and events rather than ideas: How much practical experience do you have of working with computers? | a practical knowledge of simple medicine | Most of the things you… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • practical — practicality, practicalness, n. /prak ti keuhl/, adj. 1. of or pertaining to practice or action: practical mathematics. 2. consisting of, involving, or resulting from practice or action: a practical application of a rule. 3. of, pertaining to, or …   Universalium

  • practical — [[t]præ̱ktɪk(ə)l[/t]] ♦♦♦ practicals 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n The practical aspects of something involve real situations and events, rather than just ideas and theories. We can offer you practical suggestions on how to increase the fibre in your daily… …   English dictionary

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