pragmatist

[ prag-muh-tist ]

noun

1. a person who is oriented toward the success or failure of a particular line of action, thought, etc.; a practical person.
2. an advocate or adherent of philosophical pragmatism.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of pragmatism.

Other Words From

• anti·pragma·tist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pragmatist¹

First recorded in 1630–40; pragmat(ic) + -ist

Example Sentences

Barack Obama, running as a conciliatory pragmatist in 2008, did even better with some 50 percent.

From The Daily Beast

A pragmatist and a moderate, she serves as a role model for other Blue Dog women running for election in Red states.

From The Daily Beast

In a flash, the 2016 contender has seen his reputation slide from straight-talking pragmatist to partisan bully.

From The Daily Beast

He's a conservative, but not a purist; he's a conviction politician—and a pragmatist too.

From The Daily Beast

He was also known as a charismatic pragmatist—a “people person”—who was open to the ideas of others.

From The Daily Beast

The pragmatist tells a man to think what he must think and never mind the Absolute.

From Project Gutenberg

Without being able to define, or spell, or even pronounce the term, Sergeant Williamson was a strict pragmatist.

From Project Gutenberg

Now the principle of the pragmatist is that anything that does not make any difference to anything else is not real.

From Project Gutenberg

The pragmatic mode of thinking is practically universal among scientific men, but Ostwald is an extreme pragmatist.

From Project Gutenberg

He is a firm Pragmatist—anything that is useful is all right, anything that is useless is a crime.

From Project Gutenberg