practicable

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Good sense is shown, above all things, in seeking the practicable which is within our power, by preference to a more exquisite ideal which is unattainable.

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Definitions (12)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. adjective Capable of being effected, done, or put into practice; feasible. See Synonyms at possible.
  2. adjective Usable for a specified purpose: a practicable way of entry.
  3. usage note
    It is easy to confuse practicable and practical because they look so much alike and overlap in meaning. Practicable means "feasible” as well as "usable,” and it cannot be applied to persons. Practical has at least eight meanings, including the sense "capable of being put into effect, useful,” wherein the confusion with practicable arises. But there is a subtle distinction between these words that is worth keeping. For the purpose of ordering coffee in a Parisian café, if would be practical (that is, useful) to learn some French, but it still might not be practicable for someone with a busy schedule and little time to learn.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Medieval Latin prācticābilis, capable of being used, from prācticāre, to practice, from prāctica, practice, from Greek prāktikē, practical science, from feminine of prāktikos, fit for action, practical, from prāssein, prāk-, to make, do.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from French praticable = Spanish practicable = Portuguese praticavel = Italian praticabile = G. Swedish Danish praktikabel, from Middle Latin *practicabilis, from practicare, execute, practise: see practise.
 

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/ˈpræktɪkəbl/
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