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pragmatic definition

prag·matic (prag mat′ik)

adjective

  1. Rare
    1. busy or active, esp. in a meddlesome way
    2. dogmatic; opinionated
  2. having to do with the affairs of a state or community
  3. concerned with actual practice, everyday affairs, etc., not with theory or speculation; practical
  4. dealing with historical facts, esp. in their causal relationship
  5. of or having to do with philosophical pragmatism

Etymology: L pragmaticus, skilled in business or law < Gr pragmatikos < pragma, business, orig. a thing done < prassein, to do

noun

pragmatic sanction

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

pragmatic Synonyms

pragmatic

modif.

realistic, utilitarian, philistine, extensional, logical; see also practical.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

pragmatic Usage Examples

Preposition: with

  • regard: Yes he was perhaps pragmatic with regard to having an understanding of ministering to people where they were at.

Preposition: in

  • nature: This type of voice is therefore analyzed as pragmatic in nature.

Modifies a noun

  • inference: It is a product of encoded linguistic meaning together with a special class of default pragmatic inferences which he calls generalized conversational implicatures.

Modifying Another Word

  • purely: There is a related view, very popular, which is purely pragmatic.

Used with adjective complement

  • remain: Despite this, Saint Just remains pragmatic, and retains a surprising respect for those who create the works he defiles.
pragmatic usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"pragmatic." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/pragmatic>

APA Style

pragmatic. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/pragmatic

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