pragmatic
adjective
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The word pragmatic has been busy over its more than four centuries of use. Its earliest meanings were "busy," "meddlesome," and "opinionated," but those are now considered archaic uses. The word continues, as it has since the late 19th century, to be used in reference to the philosophical movement of pragmatism (see sense 2). And, as Merriam-Webster Unabridged reports, it also continues to be used in the field of history to describe that which deals with historical events in a way that shows their interconnection. Most often, however, we encounter pragmatic when it is being used to describe people—sometimes ourselves.
So what does it mean for a person to be pragmatic? A person who is pragmatic is concerned more with matters of fact than with what could or should be. A pragmatic person's realm is results and consequences. If that's where your focus is, you may want to apply the word to yourself.
Examples of pragmatic in a Sentence
Lev Grossman, Time, 24 Jan. 2005
… their pragmatic successors like Benjamin Franklin were concerned with lightning's … power but not its thrilling scenic value.
—John Updike, New York Review of Books, 15 Aug. 2002
… pragmatic enough to have held on to their day jobs for years after they were putting out records.
—Chris Mundy, Rolling Stone, 16 Sept. 1993
… and her mysticism never failed to exasperate her pragmatic, mountain-climbing daughter.
—Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, 1989
His pragmatic view of public education comes from years of working in city schools.
a pragmatic man, not given to grand, visionary schemes
Tom Chavez, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
In the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United, the approach was more akin to what Tottenham fans might have been used to seeing in the Europa League last season, when Postecoglou took a more pragmatic outlook.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Notwithstanding this criticism, though, there is still a growing view within Delhi that foreign policy should be pragmatic and driven by interests rather than ethical considerations.
—Happymon Jacob, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Massachusetts, mired in one-party Democratic rule that has fueled high taxes and regulatory burdens, could learn from New Hampshire’s model — fielding pragmatic conservatives who unite factions to challenge seats like Massachusetts’ 9th Congressional District.
—Kristin Tate, Boston Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pragmatic
Cite this Entry
“Pragmatic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pragmatic. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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pragmatic
adjective
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