pragmatism
pragmatism Lexical Profile
pragmatism Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A practical, matter-of-fact approach to problems and affairs that prioritizes workable results and real-world feasibility over abstract theories or rigid ideologies.
"Her political success was built on a steady pragmatism that allowed her to compromise across party lines to pass essential legislation."
A philosophical tradition, originating in the late-nineteenth-century United States, that evaluates the truth or meaning of theories and beliefs in terms of the success of their practical application.
"In our seminar on American philosophy, we examined how William James and John Dewey developed pragmatism into a broad framework for education and social reform."
• Rhymes for pragmatism
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-19th century from Greek 'pragma' (meaning 'deed' or 'act'), derived from 'prassein' ('to do'). Its philosophical sense was introduced in the 1870s by American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce and later popularized by William James.