applied

American  

[uh-plahyd] / əˈplaɪd /

adjective

1. having a practical purpose or use; derived from or involved with actual phenomena (theoretical,pure ).

   applied mathematics; applied science.

2. of or relating to those arts or crafts that have a primarily utilitarian function, or to the designs and decorations used in these arts.

   Her goal was to integrate aesthetics into everyday life through an applied art, particularly with her hand-painted dinner plates.

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applied British  

/ əˈplaɪd /

adjective

1. related to or put to practical use Compare pure

   applied mathematics

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Other Word Forms

• unapplied adjective
• well-applied adjective

Etymology

Origin of applied

First recorded in 1490–1500; apply + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The White House also said the 50% tariffs would be applied to the full value of the steel and the other metals imported to the U.S. and paid for here.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

The 3.5% surcharge will be applied to fulfillment by Amazon service in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to remote fulfillment shipping from the U.S. to Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Initially Garcia, an accountant with “Dancing with the Stars,” applied to add an ADU to his property but changed his mind because of the cost.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

While the broader tech industry fiercely debates whether the future of AI lies in transformers, diffusion models, or newer concepts, PrismML’s mathematical framework can be applied to any of them, according to Hassibi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Bobby, Bisguier, and about twenty other players and spectators stood around the tournament director’s desk as he applied the tie-breaking system to determine the winner.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• enforced
• practiced
• tested