Pragmatic – Dealing with things in a practical way rather than in an ideal way that's theoretical

(Pronounced prag-mat-ik)

Note: The opposite of idealistic is pragmatic. Doing what works best often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters.

To remember the definition of the word pragmatic, use the following mnemonic:

This was a practical way of using rags and would dramatically (pragmatic) improve their situation. They were freezing cold and sewing the rags together to make clothes. It wasn't ideal but it kept them warm.

Examples of pragmatic in a sentence

Despite her young age, my daughter is already very pragmatic when dealing with problems. 

Because my father was a pragmatic man, he only bought his children useful birthday presents.

She was a romantic and a dreamer, not at all pragmatic.