Impractical: meaning, definitions and examples

🤦‍♂️
Add to dictionary

impractical

 

[ ɪmˈpræktɪkəl ]

Adjective
Context #1 | Adjective

not sensible

Not sensible or realistic; incapable of being carried out effectively.

Synonyms

impracticable, unrealistic, unworkable

Examples of usage

  • It's impractical to expect everyone to work late every day.
  • Buying a yacht is impractical for most people.
  • She had many impractical ideas that were not feasible.
Context #2 | Adjective

not functional

Not capable of being used for a particular purpose; not functional.

Synonyms

ineffective, nonfunctional, useless

Examples of usage

  • The design was beautiful but ultimately impractical.
  • Her choice of shoes was stylish but impractical for hiking.

Translations

Translations of the word "impractical" in other languages:

🇵🇹 impraticável

🇮🇳 अव्यावहारिक

🇩🇪 unpraktisch

🇮🇩 tidak praktis

🇺🇦 непрактичний

🇵🇱 niepraktyczny

🇯🇵 非現実的 (ひげんじつてき)

🇫🇷 impraticable

🇪🇸 impracticable

🇹🇷 pratik olmayan

🇰🇷 비실용적인

🇸🇦 غير عملي

🇨🇿 nepraktický

🇸🇰 nepraktický

🇨🇳 不切实际 (bù qiè shí jì)

🇸🇮 nepraktičen

🇮🇸 ópraktískur

🇰🇿 практикалық емес

🇬🇪 არაპრაქტიკული

🇦🇿 praktik deyil

🇲🇽 impracticable

Etymology

The word 'impractical' originated from the combination of the prefix 'im-' meaning 'not' or 'opposite of' and the word 'practical' meaning 'sensible' or 'workable'. It first appeared in the early 19th century in English literature to describe things that were not sensible or feasible. Over time, 'impractical' has become a common adjective used to convey the idea of something that is not realistic or functional.

See also: impractically, practicality.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranked #12,184, this word falls into high-advanced vocabulary. It appears less frequently but is valuable for expressing precise meanings in specific contexts.