What does impractically mean?
“Impractically” is an adverb meaning in a way that is impractical, unrealistic, or impossible to carry out effectively. It commonly describes ideas, plans, arrangements, or requirements whose scale, complexity, expense, or difficulty makes them unsuitable in real circumstances. For example, a system may be impractically elaborate, a task may be impractically demanding, or a proposed building may be impractically large. The word can suggest that an approach is not merely difficult but fundamentally unsuitable, although it sometimes carries the milder implication of exaggerated impracticality. It is the natural adverbial counterpart of “impractical” and is used across British and American English.
adverbIn a way that is not practical or feasible; so far from being workable that it cannot be realistically carried out.
- In a way that is impractical or not feasible.
"The proposal called for an impractically large number of volunteers."
"They designed an impractically elaborate system for a simple task."
"The journey would be impractically long if taken by road."
Sometimes the impractical idea is the one that changes everything: what seems impossible today may become tomorrow’s necessity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does impractically come from?
The word is formed from the adjective “impractical,” which combines the prefix “im-” with “practical.” “Practical” ultimately comes from Latin “practicus,” related to “praticē” and the more widely attested “prācticus,” meaning concerned with action or practice. The same root underlies related English words such as “practice,” “practitioner,” and “pragmatic.” The adverb “impractically” developed within English from the established adjective and is not a separate Latin borrowing.
Related word forms
How impractically is actually used
Common in formal and informal English alike. It often emphasizes excessive scale, complexity, difficulty, cost, or inefficiency, but can also mean merely that something is not feasible.
Easily confused with impractically
“Impractically” is an adverb describing the manner of an action or approach, whereas “impractical” is an adjective describing a person, thing, plan, or method.