pragmatism

[ prag-muh-tiz-uhm ]

noun

1. character or conduct that emphasizes practicality.
2. a philosophical movement or system having various forms, but generally stressing practical consequences as constituting the essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value.

pragmatism

/ ˈpræɡməˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. action or policy dictated by consideration of the immediate practical consequences rather than by theory or dogma
2. philosophy
   1. the doctrine that the content of a concept consists only in its practical applicability
   2. the doctrine that truth consists not in correspondence with the facts but in successful coherence with experience See also instrumentalism

pragmatism

1. An approach to philosophy , primarily held by American philosophers , which holds that the truth or meaning of a statement is to be measured by its practical (i.e., pragmatic) consequences. William James and John Dewey were pragmatists.

Derived Forms

• ˈpragmatist, nounadjective
• ˌpragmaˈtistic, adjective

Other Words From

• pragma·tistic adjective
• anti·pragma·tism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pragmatism¹

First recorded in 1860–65; pragmat(ic) + -ism

Example Sentences

“In economic matters, pragmatism dominates United States’ interests,” columnist Kimberly Armengol wrote Wednesday in Mexico’s Excélsior newspaper.

From Los Angeles Times

I don’t lack the imagination to conceive of a different world, one in which our grand democratic process isn’t whittled down to a binary choice—but I know that the gulf between what should be reality and what is reality remains vast, and so it is without hesitation that I swallow the acrid pill of pragmatism and hope that enough fellow voters do the same.

From Slate

The standoff between Blanche’s impractical aestheticism and Stanley’s ruthless pragmatism is the heart of this quintessentially American drama.

From Los Angeles Times

But Mr Duran, Harris's former colleague in the attorney general’s office, sees it less as a matter of political scrupulousness and more simply a sign of her political pragmatism.

From BBC

But by the time Harris was elected as California’s attorney general, in 2010, her progressive tendencies appeared to have given way to political pragmatism.

From BBC

Related Words

• common sense
• good sense
• practicality
• realism
• usefulness
• utilitarianism