Literary notes about pragmatical (AI summary)
In literature, “pragmatical” functions as a multifaceted adjective that can describe both a commendable practical sensibility and a pejorative over-emphasis on utilitarian concerns. It is sometimes used to highlight a character’s straightforward, matter‐of‐fact approach—such as with a candid, forthright friend or an exacting Scot [1, 2]—while at other times it casts an unflattering light on persons whose sheer practicality borders on obstinacy or insensitivity [3, 4]. Authors employ the term to nuance their portrayals, suggesting that a strictly practical demeanor, though often efficient and realistic, can also imply a lack of idealism or even a touch of pomposity [5].
- Wardle was a pragmatical and candid friend who paid Mr. Batchel occasional visits at Stoneground.
— from The Stoneground Ghost Tales Compiled from the recollections of the reverend Roland Batchel, the vicar of the parish. by E. G. (Edmund Gill) Swain - "You're a precise, pragmatical Scot," was the answer.
— from Huntingtower by John Buchan - Here again, the carnal world judges that these people are proud, self-willed, pragmatical, contentious, self-conceited, and so unsufferable people.
— from Works of John Bunyan — Complete by John Bunyan - He is therefore either pragmatical and offensive, or if he tries to please, he becomes cowardly and fawning.
— from The Spirit of the Age; Or, Contemporary Portraits by William Hazlitt - Call a person ‘pragmatical’, and you now imply not merely that he is busy, but over -busy, officious, self-important, and pompous to boot.
— from English Past and Present by Richard Chenevix Trench
