Meaning & use
pragmatic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
Dealing with problems in a sensible, realistic way, based on what will really work instead of fixed ideas.
Grammar: Describes a person, choice or approach: a pragmatic decision.
Patterns
- pragmatic about something
- a pragmatic approach to something
She took a pragmatic approach and chose the cheaper option that would last.
He is pragmatic about money and never spends beyond his budget.
The council made a pragmatic decision to repair the old bridge instead of building a new one.
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
In linguistics, relating to how context and the speaker's purpose affect the meaning of language.
Grammar: Used before nouns such as meaning or competence.
The pragmatic meaning of Can you pass the salt is a request.
Learners need pragmatic skills to know when to be polite.
The study looks at pragmatic differences between languages.
Word forms
| comparative | more pragmatic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most pragmatic |
Common combinations
- pragmatic approach
- A pragmatic approach to dieting means small, steady changes.
- pragmatic solution
- They found a pragmatic solution to the parking problem.
- pragmatic decision
- It was a pragmatic decision, not a popular one.
- pragmatic about
- She is pragmatic about the risks.
- pragmatic politics
- The mayor is known for pragmatic politics.
Synonyms and how they differ
- practical
- Practical is broader and also describes useful things and skills, while pragmatic describes the attitude of choosing what works.
- realistic
- Realistic stresses seeing facts accurately, but pragmatic goes further and acts on them.
- sensible
- Sensible suggests good judgment in general, and it lacks pragmatic's idea of putting results above theory.
- down-to-earth
- Down-to-earth is informal and describes a plain, unpretentious personality.
Opposites
Word family
- pragmatism noun
- a practical, results-focused approach
- pragmatist noun
- a person who is pragmatic
- pragmatically adverb
- in a practical way
- pragmatics noun
- the study of meaning in context
Commonly confused: pragmatic or dogmatic? pragmatic or practical?
pragmatic vs dogmatic
Dogmatic means insisting your beliefs are right whatever the evidence, so it is the opposite of pragmatic.
pragmatic vs practical
Practical often describes things, such as shoes, while pragmatic usually describes people or decisions.
Practice
The manager was ____ rather than idealistic: she dropped the perfect plan and chose the one the team could finish on time.
Choose one answer.
Pragmatic means focused on what works. Dogmatic, romantic and theoretical describe attitudes that put beliefs or ideas before results.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pragmatic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.