- that can be done or put into practice; feasible: a practicable plan
- that can be used; usable; useful: a practicable tool
Origin of practicable
altered (based on practice) from French praticable from pratiquer
adjective
The definition of practicable is something that is useful, or something that is possible to do or put into practice.
An example of practicable is a plan to streamline business operations that is possible to implement.
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practicable
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Practicable. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Practicable
practicable
adjective
- Capable of being effected, done, or put into practice; feasible. See Synonyms at possible.
- Usable for a specified purpose: a practicable way of entry.
Origin of practicable
Medieval Latin prācticābilis capable of being used from prācticāre to practice from prāctica practice from Greek prāktikē practical science from feminine of prāktikos fit for action, practical from prāssein prāk- to make, doRelated Forms:
- prac′ti·ca·bil′i·ty
noun
- prac′ti·ca·bly
adverb
Usage Note: It is easy to confuse practicable and practical because they look so much alike and overlap in meaning. Practicable means “feasible” as well as “usable,” and it cannot be applied to persons. Practical has at least six meanings, including the sense “capable of being put into effect, useful,” wherein the confusion with practicable arises. But there is a subtle distinction between these words that is worth keeping. For the purpose of ordering coffee in a Parisian café, it would be practical (that is, useful) to learn some French, but it still might not be practicable for someone with a busy schedule and little time to learn.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"Practicable." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Practicable.
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Practicable. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Practicable
Adjective
(not comparable)
- Capable of being accomplished; feasible.
- Serving a useful function; useful, functional or handy.
- Available for use; accessible or employable.
Usage notes
Example of use contrasted with practical:
- "While others might agree that it really was practical to rewrite the entire section, it just was not truly practicable given other considerations."
Origin
From French praticable.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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MLA Style
"Practicable." YourDictionary. LoveToKnow. www.yourdictionary.com/Practicable.
APA Style
Practicable. (n.d.). In YourDictionary. Retrieved from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Practicable
Sentence Examples
- The method is then practicable and safe only with exceptionally strong mineral and roof.
- The three principal areas in which irrigation is practicable are along the Humboldt river, in the plains watered by the Carson, Truckee and Walker rivers, and at the foot of the mountains along the western edge of the state.
- Where practicable steam shovels are employed, even when it is necessary to break up the material beforehand by blasting.
- D According to the Report, for the best results both H and h should be made as great as practicable, and then d= o 21D-l-o 16h, b=2d or o.
- But this system is practicable only by the voice and instruments of the violin class.
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WORDS NEAR practicable IN THE DICTIONARY
- practicable
- practic
- practica
- practicabilities