Practical — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈprak-ti-kəl/ prac·ti·cal

Meaning & Definition of Practical

Practical (adjective)

  1. of, relating to, or manifested in practice or action, not theoretical or ideal
  2. being such in practice or effect, virtual
  3. actively engaged in some course of action or occupation

Practical (noun)

  1. an examination requiring demonstration of some practical skill

Practical (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. capable of being put to use or account

    "a practical and simple solution for the town's waste disposal"

    "she has some practical information on sightseeing in San Francisco"

    similar: actionable, applicable, applicative, applied, functional, practicable, serviceable, ultrapractical, usable, useful, workable, working
    related: down-to-earth, pragmatic, utilitarian, banausic, mundane, accessible, available, obtainable, reachable, all-around, handy, active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, operating, operative
    opposite: impracticable, impractical, inapplicable, nonpractical, unusable, unworkable, useless
    near: abstract, academic, armchair, theoretical, inaccessible, unattainable, unavailable, unobtainable, unreachable, unsuitable

  2. willing to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly

    "a practical caseworker who doesn't spend a lot of time philosophizing while doing social work in the inner city"

    similar: down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, pragmatic, realistic
    related: idealless, philistine, utilitarian, commonsensical, grounded, levelheaded, logical, no-nonsense, rational, reasonable, sane, sensible, sober, sobersided, sound, bottom-line, hard, hard-boiled, hard-edged, tough-minded, unromantic, unsentimental, cynical, disillusioned, misanthropic, pessimistic, distrustful, mistrustful, skeptical, suspicious
    opposite: blue-sky, idealistic, impractical, unrealistic, utopian, visionary
    near: fanciful, fantastic, imaginative, romantic, sentimental, cheerful, optimistic, rose-colored, trustful, trusting, unsuspicious, half-baked, illogical, insane, irrational, unreasonable, theoretical

Related Entry: Practical joke (noun)

Practical joke is a different word from Practical. The synonyms below are for practical joke, not for practical.

  1. a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke

    "friends had left the risqué message on his voice mail as a practical joke"

    similar: antic, caper, capriccio, dido, escapade, frolic, gag, jest, knavery, monkeyshine(s), prank, rag (chiefly British), roguery, shavie (Scottish), shine(s), trick, waggery
    related: skylarking, adventure, experience, game, lark, time, high jinks, horseplay, play, roughhousing, rowdyism, shenanigan(s), tomfoolery, joking, kidding, teasing, gambit, hoax, maneuver, ploy, deed, feat, mission, performance, stunt, caprice, conceit, fancy, vagary, whim, whimsy, deceit, deception, delusion, fooling, fraud, hanky-panky, hoodwinking, ruse, sham, stratagem, subterfuge, trickery, wile

Related Entry: Practical joker (noun)

Practical joker is a different word from Practical. The synonyms below are for practical joker, not for practical.

  1. as in banterer, quipper

    similar: banterer, cutup, kidder, knockabout, prankster, quipper, quipster, teaser, wisecracker, comedienne, entertainer, buffoon, clown, fool, harlequin, zany, card, comedian, comic, droll, farceur, funnyman, gagger, gagman, gagster, humorist, jester, joker, jokester, wag, wit, caricaturist, lampooner, parodist, satirist

Related Entry: Practical jokers (noun)

Practical jokers is a different word from Practical. The synonyms below are for practical jokers, not for practical.

  1. as in banterers, quippers

    similar: banterers, cutups, kidders, knockabouts, pranksters, quippers, quipsters, teasers, wisecrackers, comediennes, entertainers, buffoons, clowns, fools, harlequins, zanies, cards, comedians, comics, drolls, farceurs, funnymen, gaggers, gagmen, gagsters, humorists, jesters, jokers, jokesters, wags, wits, caricaturists, lampooners, parodists, satirists

Related Entry: Practical jokes (noun)

Practical jokes is a different word from Practical. The synonyms below are for practical jokes, not for practical.

  1. a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke

    "friends had left the risqué message on his voice mail as a practical joke"

    similar: antics, capers, capriccios, didoes, escapades, frolics, gags, jests, knaveries, monkeyshines, pranks, rags (chiefly British), rogueries, shavies (Scottish), shines, tricks, waggeries
    related: adventures, experiences, games, larks, times, high jinks, horseplays, plays, rowdyisms, shenanigans, tomfooleries, gambits, hoaxes, maneuvers, ploys, deeds, feats, missions, performances, stunts, caprices, conceits, fancies, vagaries, whims, whimsies, deceits, deceptions, delusions, frauds, hanky-pankies, ruses, shams, stratagems, subterfuges, trickeries, wiles

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Practical

The most common words with a similar meaning to Practical:

actionable, applicable, applicative, applied, functional, practicable, serviceable, ultrapractical, usable, useful, workable, working, down-to-earth, earthy, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, pragmatic, realistic

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Practical

Words with the opposite meaning of Practical:

impracticable, impractical, inapplicable, nonpractical, unusable, unworkable, useless, blue-sky, idealistic, unrealistic, utopian, visionary

Related Words for Practical

utilitarian, banausic, mundane, accessible, available, obtainable, reachable, all-around, handy, active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, operating, operative, idealless, philistine, commonsensical, grounded, levelheaded, logical, no-nonsense, rational, reasonable, sane, sensible, sober, sobersided, sound

Near Antonyms of Practical

abstract, academic, armchair, theoretical, inaccessible, unattainable, unavailable, unobtainable, unreachable, unsuitable, fanciful, fantastic, imaginative, romantic, sentimental, cheerful, optimistic, rose-colored, trustful, trusting, unsuspicious, half-baked, illogical, insane, irrational, unreasonable

Word Forms of Practical

Derived words: practicality (noun), practicalness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Practical

Middle English, from Late Latin practicus, from Greek praktikos, from prassein to pass over, fare, do; akin to Greek peran to pass through fare

First known use: 15th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Practical

Words & Phrases Containing Practical

practical art, practical joke, practical nurse, practical theology, for all practical purposes, licensed practical nurse

Frequently Asked Questions about Practical

What does "Practical" mean?

"Practical" means of, relating to, or manifested in practice or action, not theoretical or ideal. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: of, relating to, or manifested in practice or action, not theoretical or ideal. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Practical"?

Other words for "Practical" include actionable, applicable, applicative, applied, functional, practicable, serviceable and ultrapractical. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Practical" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Practical"?

There are 63 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Practical". Common alternatives include actionable, applicable, applicative, applied, functional, practicable, serviceable, ultrapractical, usable and useful.

What is the opposite of "Practical"?

Antonyms of "Practical" include impracticable, impractical, inapplicable, nonpractical, unusable, unworkable, useless and blue-sky. Near antonyms include abstract, academic, armchair and theoretical.

How do you use "Practical" in a sentence?

Examples of "Practical" in a sentence: "a practical and simple solution for the town's waste disposal"; "she has some practical information on sightseeing in San Francisco"; "a practical caseworker who doesn't spend a lot of time philosophizing while doing social work in the inner city".

Is "Practical" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Practical" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Practical" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Practical" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Practical"?

"Practical" is pronounced /ˈprak-ti-kəl/ and divided into syllables as prac·ti·cal.