Make Your Point: PRAGMATIC

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pronounce PRAGMATIC:

prag MAD ick

connect this word to others:

Our word pragmatic belongs to a family of words that trace back to the Greek verb prassein or prattein, meaning "to do, to act, or to accomplish." This family includes words like practice, practical, and pract____le ("able to be done with the resources at hand").

Can you recall that last one?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

"Pragmatic" traces back to the Greek pragmatikos, meaning "active or businesslike," and further back to prassein or prattein, meaning "to do, to act, or to accomplish."

It's been around in English for hundreds of years, taking on various meanings, including some specific ones in the fields of philosophy and linguistics.

But here's the most general meaning, and the most common one we use today: something pragmatic is reasonable and realistic, focused on dealing with real-world situations in a no-nonsense way.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "He's pragmatic;" "Let's take a pragmatic approach."

Other forms:

Pragmatically, pragmaticism, pragmaticist(s); unpragmatic.

how to use it:

Pick the common, formal, serious word "pragmatic" when you want to emphasize how someone is being realistic: not idealistic, not daydreamy, not focused on theoretical ideas.

You might talk about pragmatic people, comments, advice, attitudes, views, mindsets, decisions, approaches, priorities, or concerns.

examples:

"Greene is pragmatic about the less positive reviews [of his debut album]. 'Any criticism about the songs sounding the same… there might be some truth to that.'"
— Tim Jonze, quoting Ernest Greene, The Guardian, 30 July 2011

"I tried to apply what I learned in the church to my chess career. But I was still studying chess. I wasn’t just 'trusting in God' to give me the moves... [my] pragmatic philosophy was similar to the old Arabic saying 'Trust in Allah but tie up your camel.'"
— Bobby Fischer, as quoted by Frank Brady, Endgame, 2011

has this page helped you understand "pragmatic"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "pragmatic" without saying "sensible" or "unidealistic."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "A part of me wants to (do some reckless or impulsive), but my pragmatic side reminds me that (I'd have to suffer some kind of consequence)."

Example 1: "A part of me wants to adopt an entire litter of kittens, but my pragmatic side reminds me of the vet bills."

Example 2: "A part of me wants to remove her as a friend [on Facebook], but the pragmatic side reminds me that then I'd never get to see what else she puts up."
— S. K. Ali, Saints and Misfits, 2017

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Eddie Izzardisms!"

Consider a quote from Eddie Izzard's delightful stand-up comedy, and decide which of three given terms you can most easily connect it to. You can see my suggested answer by scrolling to the bottom of the issue. But yours doesn't need to match mine.

Try this one today:

"We have two hundred languages in Europe. Two hundred languages! Count them! I know you won't!"

Plethora, Pandora's box, or El Dorado?

review this word:

1. The exact opposite of PRAGMATIC is UNPRAGMATIC. But a close opposite of PRAGMATIC is

A. ACERBIC: sour, sharp, bitter, and harsh.
B. QUIXOTIC: noble or idealistic in an unrealistic way.
C. SPORADIC: random, irregular, occasional, or scattered.

2. Erin Coulehan praises Edna St. Vincent Millay's poem "_____" for its "pragmatic approach," which "_____."

A. Humoresque .. begins with idle gossip and ends with a snow-covered murdered lover
B. The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver .. tenderly portrays a poor mother's devotion to her son
C. Love Is Not All .. logically lists things that love isn't. Love isn't food, and it can't raise sunken ships

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
On vocabulary...
  36 ways to study words.
  Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
  How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.

From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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