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Practical problem-solving
Choosing an approach because it can work under actual conditions.
Example
The engineers selected a pragmatic repair that used locally available materials.
pragmatic
/præɡˈmætɪk/ · prag-MAT-ikadjective
Dealing with problems sensibly and realistically.
Use pragmatic for a decision or approach guided by workable results and real constraints rather than abstract ideals alone.
What pragmatic Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Attention to constraints
Adjusting a plan to account for limits involving time, money, or evidence.
Example
The committee adopted a pragmatic response to the funding shortage.
3
Workable compromise
Balancing competing goals to produce a realistic path forward.
Example
Both parties accepted a pragmatic compromise that could be implemented immediately.
Use pragmatic Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
Rather than pursue the most elegant theory, the engineers chose a pragmatic solution that could be built quickly and safely.
The committee adopted a pragmatic approach to the funding shortage.
A pragmatic timetable allowed the researchers to collect reliable data before the monsoon.
Precision Matters
Pragmatic overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
pragmatic
vs.Often describes a broader outlook guided by results and constraints.
practical
Can simply mean useful, feasible, or suited to action.
pragmatic
vs.Includes choosing an effective course of action.
realistic
Means recognising conditions as they actually are.
pragmatic
vs.Balances real constraints to obtain workable results.
utilitarian
Emphasises usefulness or the greatest overall benefit.
pragmatic
vs.Usually carries an approving sense of sensible action.
expedient
Can imply convenience at the expense of principle or long-term value.
Test pragmatic in Context
The strategy responds to a real limit — the monsoon deadline — while preserving useful results.
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Unable to survey all 4,000 wetlands before the monsoon, the team adopted a pragmatic strategy: it selected a representative sample that could be studied thoroughly in the available time.
As used in the text, “pragmatic” most nearly means…