practical
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- functional, applied, empirical, experimental, factual, pragmatic, realistic, utilitarian
- sensible, businesslike, down-to-earth, hard-headed, matter-of-fact, ordinary, realistic
- feasible, doable, practicable, serviceable, useful, workable
- skilled, accomplished, efficient, experienced, proficient

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Antonyms: impractical, unpractical
Contrasted words: abstract, academic, theoretical

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English Thesaurus: last, final, closing, concluding, penultimate, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. prac‧ti‧cal¹ S3 W2 /ˈpræktɪkəl/ adjective
[Word Family: noun: practical, practicalities, practicality ≠ impracticality, practicability ≠ impracticability; adverb: practically ≠ impractically, practicably ≠ impracticably; adjective: practicable ≠ impracticable, practical ≠ impractical]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Late Latin; Origin: practicus, from Greek praktikos, from prassein 'to do']

1. REAL relating to real situations and events rather than ideas, emotions etc ⇒ theoretical:
Candidates should have training and practical experience in basic electronics.
the practical problems of old age
They provide financial and practical help for disabled students.
a combination of theoretical and practical training
They haven’t thought about the practical consequences of the new regulations.
In practical terms, this means spending more time with each student.

2. EFFECTIVE practical plans, methods etc are likely to succeed or be effective in a situation Antonym : impractical:
It doesn’t sound like a very practical solution.
a practical way of achieving greater efficiency
Unfortunately, there’s no practical alternative to driving.
a practical guide to buying and selling a house

3. CLEAR THINKING a practical person is good at dealing with problems and making decisions based on what is possible and what will really work Antonym : impractical:
She’s a very practical person.
I was very shocked, but tried to be practical and think what to do.

4. SUITABLE useful or suitable for a particular purpose or situation Antonym : impractical:
Skirts aren’t very practical in my kind of work.

5. USING YOUR HANDS good at repairing or making things:
I’m not very practical – I can’t even change a light bulb.

6. for/to all practical purposes used to say what the real effect of a situation is:
The time you spend on it doesn’t, for all practical purposes, affect the final result.

7. practical certainty/disaster/sell-out etc something that is almost certain, almost a disaster etc:
Sampras looks a practical certainty to win Wimbledon this year.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. practical² noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: practical, practicalities, practicality ≠ impracticality, practicability ≠ impracticability; adverb: practically ≠ impractically, practicably ≠ impracticably; adjective: practicable ≠ impracticable, practical ≠ impractical]
British English a lesson or examination in science, cooking etc in which you have to do or make something yourself rather than write or read about it:
a chemistry practical

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

practical
adj.
VERBS be, seem, sound | become
ADV. eminently, extremely, highly, intensely, very | entirely, purely, strictly For entirely practical reasons, children are not invited.
hardly | quite, reasonably | essentially | severely She always adopted a severely practical tone.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

practical
noun
ADJ. chemistry, physics, etc.
VERB + PRACTICAL sit, take | pass | fail I passed the written exam but failed the practical.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

practical

practical experience
You have to gain practical experience before you qualify as a solicitor.
practical work
Archaeology students are required to do a certain amount of practical work.
practical problems/difficulties
The local Social Services Department may be able to help with practical problems.
practical help/support (also practical assistance formal)
There will be trained people available to listen and to provide practical help.
practical advice
The booklets offer clear, practical advice on running your business.
practical use
Knowledge without understanding is of little practical use.
practical considerations
There are a number of practical considerations that must be taken into account when choosing a car.
practical implications
He was well aware of the practical implications of his theory.
in practical terms
In practical terms, the experiment is going to be difficult.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

last [only before noun] happening or existing at the end, with no others after:
What time does the last train leave?
Our house is the last one on the right.
final [only before noun] last in a series of actions, events, parts of a story etc:
It’s the final game of the championship tomorrow.
the final scene of the film
closing [only before noun] used about the last part of a long period of time, or of an event, book etc that has been exciting or interesting:
the closing years of the twentieth century
Barnes scored the winning goal in the closing minutes of the game.
concluding [only before noun] used about the last part of a piece of writing, a speech, or an organized event, that ends it in a definite way:
the concluding section of the report
the judge’s concluding remarks
penultimate /peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə-/ [only before noun] the one before the last one:
the penultimate chapter
test a set of questions or practical activities, which are intended to find out how much someone knows about a subject or skill:
I have a chemistry test tomorrow.
Did Lauren pass her driving test?
exam (also examination formal) an important test that you do at the end of a course of study or class or at the end of the school year:
He’s upstairs, revising for an exam.
When do you get your exam results?
There’s a written examination at the end of the course.
quiz American English a quick test that a teacher gives to a class, usually to check that students are learning the things they should be learning:
We have a math quiz every Monday.
a pop quiz (=a quiz given by a teacher without any warning)
finals British English the last exams that you take at the end of a British university course:
During my finals I was revising till 3 o'clock in the morning most days.
midterm American English an important test that you take in the middle of a term, covering what you have learned in a particular class in high school or college:
He did badly in the midterm.
oral exam (also oral British English) an exam in which you answer questions by speaking, instead of writing, for example to test how good you are at speaking a foreign language:
Nicky got an A in her Spanish oral.
You can either take an oral exam or do a 25 page essay.
practical British English an exam that tests your ability to do or make things, rather than your ability to write about them:
The chemistry practical is on Monday.
mocks/mock exams British English informal tests that you take as practice before the official examinations:
She did well in the mocks.
paper British English a set of printed questions used as an examination in a particular subject, or the answers people write:
The history paper was really difficult.
The papers are marked by the other teachers.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

test a set of questions or practical activities, which are intended to find out how much someone knows about a subject or skill:
I have a chemistry test tomorrow.
Did Lauren pass her driving test?
exam (also examination formal) an important test that you do at the end of a course of study or class or at the end of the school year:
He’s upstairs, revising for an exam.
When do you get your exam results?
There’s a written examination at the end of the course.
quiz American English a quick test that a teacher gives to a class, usually to check that students are learning the things they should be learning:
We have a math quiz every Monday.
a pop quiz (=a quiz given by a teacher without any warning)
finals British English the last exams that you take at the end of a British university course:
During my finals I was revising till 3 o'clock in the morning most days.
final American English an important test that you take at the end of a particular class in high school or college:
The English final was pretty hard.
midterm American English an important test that you take in the middle of a term, covering what you have learned in a particular class in high school or college:
He did badly in the midterm.
oral exam (also oral British English) an exam in which you answer questions by speaking, instead of writing, for example to test how good you are at speaking a foreign language:
Nicky got an A in her Spanish oral.
You can either take an oral exam or do a 25 page essay.
practical British English an exam that tests your ability to do or make things, rather than your ability to write about them:
The chemistry practical is on Monday.
mocks/mock exams British English informal tests that you take as practice before the official examinations:
She did well in the mocks.
paper British English a set of printed questions used as an examination in a particular subject, or the answers people write:
The history paper was really difficult.
The papers are marked by the other teachers.
check to look at something carefully and thoroughly in order to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly:
I’ll just check the water level in the battery.
The immigration officer checked their passports.
We need to check the building for structural damage.
examine to look at something carefully and thoroughly because you want to find out something about it:
Experts who examined the painting believe it is genuine.
The police will examine the weapon for fingerprints.
inspect to look at something carefully and thoroughly in order to make sure that it is correct, safe, or working properly, especially when it is your job to do this:
The building is regularly inspected by a fire-safety officer.
Some insurance people have already been here to inspect the damage caused by the storm.
go through something to examine something such as a document or plan from beginning to end, especially in order to check that it is correct:
You should go through the contract before you sign.
I’ve finished my essay, but I just need to go through it to check for spelling mistakes.
double-check to check something again so that you are completely sure it is correct, safe, or working properly:
I double-checked all my calculations and they seemed fine.
Travellers should double-check flight information before setting off today.
monitor to carefully watch or keep checking someone or something in order to see what happens over a period of time:
Doctors monitored her progress during the night.
Observers have been monitoring the situation in Burma closely.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲