What does impractical mean?
Impractical describes an idea, plan, method, or piece of behaviour that cannot be carried out easily or effectively. A person may call a design impractical when it is attractive or ingenious but too costly, complicated, fragile, or inconvenient for ordinary use. The word can also describe someone's approach to life or work: an excessively cautious person may act in an impractical way by allowing minor risks to prevent every practical action. Its mild criticism is often milder than saying that something is impossible, since an impractical solution may be theoretically workable but poorly suited to real conditions. The adjective is frequently paired with words such as “idea,” “solution,” “design,” and “approach,” and is particularly useful when describing the gap between theoretical elegance and everyday usability.
adjectiveNot possible or effective in practice; involving ideas or methods that are difficult, unrealistic, or unsuitable for real use.
- Not possible, effective, or suitable in practice.
- Describing a person whose conduct or approach lacks practicality.
- Involving methods or ideas that are cumbersome, inefficient, or unrealistic.
"The elegant design was impractical because it could never withstand everyday use."
"Building a full-size model of the proposed bridge would have been impractical."
"Her fear of making mistakes led to an impractical and overly cautious approach."
"The device uses an ingenious mechanism, but its design is impractical for mass production."
Calling something impractical is often a polite way of saying that a brilliant idea has met the real world.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impractical come from?
“Impractical” was formed in the 19th century from “un-” and “practical,” expressing the idea of being “not practical.” “Practical” comes through French from Latin practicalis, meaning “practical” or “relating to action,” and ultimately from the Latin verb praticari, meaning “to do” or “to practise.” Related English forms include “practice,” “practitioner,” and “practicality.”
Related word forms
How impractical is actually used
The term is common in formal and informal English. It is often softer than “impossible” because an impractical plan may theoretically work but remain unrealistic, inefficient, or inconvenient. The related word “impracticable” is somewhat more formal and emphasizes infeasibility.
Easily confused with impractical
Both mean difficult or impossible in practice, but “impracticable” more often suggests that an idea or method cannot realistically be carried out.
Something theoretical is based on theory, whereas something impractical is unsuitable or ineffective when put into actual use.