impractical

adjective

im·​prac·​ti·​cal (ˌ)im-ˈprak-ti-kəl How to pronounce impractical (audio)
: not practical: such as
a
: not wise to put into or keep in practice or effect
b
: incapable of dealing sensibly or prudently with practical matters
impracticality noun
impractically adverb

Examples of impractical in a Sentence

Little sports cars are impractical for large families. He was a dreamy and impractical young man.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
By contrast, the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands have been allocated to Wi-Fi for a long time, are heavily used, and modifying existing devices to stop using parts of the bands would be impractical. ArsTechnica, 30 June 2025 This sheer volume makes manual auditing impractical and reinforces the need for intelligent tools that can scale. Prashant Kondle, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025 The school board, backed by other parents, had argued that opt-out provisions were impractical. Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 June 2025 Electric vehicles were once considered impractical. Charles Singh, USA Today, 17 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for impractical

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of impractical was in 1865

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Cite this Entry

“Impractical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impractical. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

impractical

adjective
im·​prac·​ti·​cal (ˈ)im-ˈprak-ti-kəl How to pronounce impractical (audio)
: not practical: as
a
: not wise to put into or keep in practice or effect
an impractical rule disliked by many
b
: incapable of dealing sensibly with practical matters
c
: impracticable
the new gadgets were complicated and impractical
impracticality noun
impractically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on impractical

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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