pragmatic

adjective

prag-ˈma-tik How to pronounce pragmatic (audio)
variants also pragmatical
Definition of pragmaticnext
as in practical
willing to see things as they really are and deal with them sensibly a pragmatic man, not given to grand, visionary schemes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pragmatic The blouson or workwear chore jacket is always a mainstay of menswear, but this season there is a wider offer in fabrics and colors — a pragmatic approach to wardrobing balancing commerciality and novelty. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 29 June 2026 Taken together, the results suggest Democratic voters are being highly pragmatic. — Averi Harper, ABC News, 24 June 2026 Germany shifted to more wide play after the break, with Kai Havertz levelling things up, but Paraguay held firm with their pragmatic approach for over an hour to force penalties, even surviving a Jonathan Tah disallowed goal. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Chan stars as idealistic rookie officer Shih-Ting, while veteran actor Cheng portrays Hou, a pragmatic policeman approaching retirement. — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pragmatic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pragmatic
  1. practical
  2. realistic
Adjective
  • What Enterprises Should Do Now For a technology buyer, the practical move is to treat the agent gateway as a diligence checklist rather than a purchase.
    — Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • As a perpetually on-the-go woman, my chic mom is rotating through a range of practical styles this season.
    — Isabel Bekele, InStyle, 6 July 2026
Definition of practical
Adjective
  • There are other realistic podium contenders worth mentioning.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 July 2026
  • Most independent observers have suggested that a 12- to 18-month timeline is probably the most realistic for New Glenn’s return to flight.
    — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026
Definition of realistic

Browse Nearby Words

practitioners
pragmatic
pragmatism
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pragmatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pragmatic. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on pragmatic

Nglish: Translation of pragmatic for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All