Pragmatic Meaning: Here’s What It Means and How To Use It

Learning the definition of words, their origins, and examples of how to use them in a sentence is a very pragmatic task. If you don’t know what pragmatic means, though, you don’t know whether that’s good or bad.

Perhaps you have a sense of what pragmatic means from context clues, but this guide will help you see if you’re using this helpful word correctly.

What Is the Definition of the Word Pragmatic?

According to the English dictionary, the word pragmatic is an adjective. It is pronounced prag-mat-ic. A less commonly used variant of the word is pragmatical. Pragmatical is pronounced as prag-mat-i-cal. 

The word pragmatic has more than one definition. 

Pragmatic can be used to describe something or someone as practical rather than idealistic, like:

• The prime minister was considered to be a pragmatic leader.
• I prefer a more pragmatic approach in the field of medicine.

According to the Dictionary of the English Language, pragmatism or being pragmatic can also describe someone or something that deals with problems in a reasonable, systematic, or logical way. 

Examples of this include:

• My teacher had a pragmatic way of teaching math.

A more archaic definition for pragmatic is busy or opinionated. Someone might use this to describe a person that we would call a busybody in today’s time.

Pragmatic can also be an adverb that means to act practically and sensibly, like:

• The teacher responded pragmatically to the questions about city schools and the purpose of the student lounge.

What Is the Origin of the Word Pragmatic?

According to the Cambridge University Press, the word pragmatic originated in the late 16th century. At that time, pragmatic meant busy or conceited or interfering. 

This origin relates to late Latin prāgmaticus. Prāgmaticus was a noun that meant a person in the law who provided arguments of fact and a practical point of view to orators. They were similar to an attorney.

Prāgmaticus comes from the Greek pragmatikós, prāgmatikos, or pragmatikos, which meant something related to fact. One root of pragmatikos is prāgmata.

Prāgmat came from the Ancient Greek pragma, meaning act or deed. Prâgma or prāgma comes from the stem of prāssein, prattein, or prassein, which meant “to do.” 

The way we use the word pragmatic today can be traced back to the mid 19th century when a person used practical considerations to make decisions or approach various fields of study.

How Do We Use Pragmatic Today?

The word pragmatic relates to the concept of pragmatism. Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition. It considers that words and thoughts are tools or instruments used for problem-solving and practical actions. 

The philosophy of pragmatism began in the 1870s in the United States. Contributors to the origins of pragmatism were also philosophers. Three main philosophers are given the most credit for their contributions:

• Charles Sanders Peirce
• William James
• John Dewey

Pragmatists value philosophical topics’ logical and practical uses above all other viewpoints. A pragmatic person would agree with this philosophy.

Pragmatic in Literature

In literature, Thomas Carlyle, a philosopher, wrote the History of Frederick the Great and described his success in Prussia to draw the pragmatic conclusion of the Great Man Theory.

Pragmatic in Linguistics

In linguistics, pragmatics is the study of how meaning is derived from context. Pragmatics is akin to the theories of semantics and syntax. A person’s pragmatic competence is their ability to understand another speaker’s intended meaning or intentions through pragmatic cognition. 

In linguistic communication, the subfield of pragmatics, the speech act theory, looks at using natural language to carry out actions. The field was developed thanks to J.L. Austin and Paul Grice. They looked to study different aspects of meaning.

Pragmatic in Politics

In politics, a pragmatic leader believes in an imperial decree that becomes part of the fundamental law of the land through a practical view of the affairs of a state. 

Policymakers consider the fallout of political events in a specific situation. Pragmatic politics is not always a popular approach to state business.

Pragmatic in Business

In the business world, a pragmatic man of business would use a logical approach to solving a problem and considering stakeholders’ perspectives. Practical business decisions are often referred to as pragmatic because they rely on statistical evidence.

Pragmatic in Medicine

In medicine, a pragmatic approach considers the relevance of research before integrating research. Sometimes the uncertain translation of research makes the transition from theory to practice a slow process, especially for people who practice pragmatic health care.

A pragmatic health care worker would want to apply scientific findings and look for practical answers in their study of cause. They use examples of pragmatic methods and study pragmatic trials.

Pragmatic as a Trait

A pragmatic person would be described as someone who is guided more by practical consequences than by theories, dogma, or ideology. They draw practical lessons from events in history. They prefer more explanatory models.

A pragmatic person takes practical measures to reach a goal or solve a problem. They tend to be classified as hard-headed for their realistic views.

When a forecast is given using the lessons from practical experience, and practical models for solutions are drawn up, the approach is considered pragmatic.

What Are Synonyms for Pragmatic?

Synonyms help us express the same meaning using different words. This allows us to vary our words when we’re writing or speaking. Here are some of the synonyms for the word pragmatic:

• Practical
• Matter-of-fact
• Businesslike
• Down-to-earth
• Sensible
• Realistic
• Hard-headed
• Unsentimental
• Hard-nosed
• Rational
• Reasonable
• Expedient
• Commonsensical

What Are Antonyms for Pragmatic?

Antonyms help us when we want to convey the opposite of a word. If you wanted to describe someone who was not pragmatic, here are some of the antonyms you could use:

• Impractical
• Unrealistic
• Idealistic
• Irrational
• Nonsensical
• Silly
• Sentimental
• Unreasonable

What Are Examples of the Word Pragmatic?

Here are a few example sentences of how to use the word pragmatic:

• Pragmatic people can seem cold and distant.
• Will the people vote for the pragmatic leader or the charismatic leader?
• I felt she gave a very pragmatic reason for staying home.
• They chose a pragmatic chairman to lead the State Affairs Committee.
• It takes courage to be pragmatic in this new generation.
• The pragmatic labor leader was respected by his party.
• The sturdy furniture was more pragmatic than attractive.
• I prefer a pragmatic form of problem-solving.
• The teacher had a pragmatic view of public education.

Conclusion

Knowing the meaning of words is a pragmatic pursuit. Congratulations on learning a new word today, and have fun using it in your daily conversations!

Sources:

1. Pragmatic Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
2. PRAGMATIC | Cambridge English Dictionary 
3. Pragmatism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) | Stanford University