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Definition of "pragmatic" []

  • Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical. (adjective)
  • Philosophy Of or relating to pragmatism. (adjective)
  • Relating to or being the study of cause and effect in historical or political events with emphasis on the practical lessons to be learned from them. (adjective)
  • Archaic Active; busy. (adjective)
  • Archaic Active in an officious or meddlesome way. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "pragmatic" in a sentence
  • "On a good day, I consider myself a centrist (though I prefer the term pragmatic liberal), so I've been more willing than most to hear arguments about making compromises, reaching across the aisle, and taking a short term loss for a long term gain."
  • "Russian envoy Grigory Berdennikov said world powers expect Iran to show what he called a "pragmatic attitude" and respond positively."
  • "The second half is much more specific to the Evangelical community but does make some interesting points about what he calls the pragmatic philosophy of Youth Ministry."