pragmatism
/ˈpɹæɡmətɪzəm/noun
pragmatism is spelled P-R-A-G-M-A-T-I-S-M: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pragmatism means “The pursuit of practicality over aesthetic qualities; a concentration on facts rather than emotions or ideals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pragmatism is pragmatisms.
How many letters and syllables are in pragmatism?
| Letters | 10: P-R-A-G-M-A-T-I-S-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,017th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is pragmatism?
Pragmatism appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,017th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce pragmatism?
- US /ˈpɹæɡmətɪzəm/
- UK /ˈpɹaɡmətɪzəm/
Pragmatism has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-pragmatism.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of pragmatism
- pragmatisms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pragmatism mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The pursuit of practicality over aesthetic qualities; a concentration on facts rather than emotions or ideals.
- 2
The idea that beliefs are identified with the actions of a believer, and the truth of beliefs with success of those actions in securing a believer's goals; the doctrine that ideas must be looked at in terms of their practical effects and consequences.
- 3
The theory that political problems should be met with practical solutions rather than ideological ones.
- 4
obsoleteThe habit of interfering in other people's affairs; meddlesomeness.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pragmatism in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense pursuit of practicality over aesthetic qualities:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pragmatisme |
| German | Pragmatismus |
| Portuguese | pragmatismo |
| Spanish | pragmatismo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does pragmatism come from?
From Ancient Greek stem of πρᾶγμα (prâgma, “act”) + -ism.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).