Impractical

How to spell impractical

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce impractical

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does impractical mean?

1. adjectiveNot sensible or realistic to do or use; unsuited to actual practice.

Impractical in a sentence

• The original budget proved completely impractical once costs rose.

• Those delicate white sofas are impractical for a house full of children.

Where does impractical come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word is built from the prefix im-, a form of in- meaning 'not', attached to 'practical'. The root traces back to the Greek praktikos, which meant 'fit for doing' or 'concerned with action', from the verb prattein, 'to do or to act'. That word travelled through Late Latin as practicus and into Old French and Middle English, where 'practical' came to mean 'relating to action rather than theory'. By the early 1800s English speakers were adding the negative prefix to form 'impractical', describing a plan or person ill suited to real action or actual use. The prefix appears as 'im-' rather than 'in-' because the following 'p' pulls the nasal sound toward the lips, which is exactly the spelling point worth remembering: it is im-practical, not in-practical.

How the word is built

• im- (not)
• practic (from Greek praktikos: fit for doing or acting)
• -al (adjective suffix)