ˈpragməˌtizəm, ˈpraig- noun
( -s )
Etymology: pragmat ic (II) + -ism
1. : pedantic assertiveness : dogmatism , officiousness
2. : practical treatment of things : matter-of-factness
3. : the pragmatic or philosophical method in the treatment of history or literature
4.
a. : emphasis in philosophical thought on the application of ideas or the practical bearings of conceptions and beliefs
b. : an American movement in philosophy founded by Peirce and James and marked by the doctrines that the meaning of conceptions is to be sought in their practical bearings, that the function of thought is as a guide to action, and that the truth is preeminently to be tested by the practical consequences of belief