impractical
impractical — adjective
1. not having the natural ability to do manual jobs, fix household items, or organi
not having the natural ability to do manual jobs, fix household items, or organise everyday tasks without help.
Eli is completely impractical — when his sink broke, he tried to fix it with tape and flooded the kitchen.
be + completely impractical (person)
Renata called a handyman just to hang a single picture frame, which shows how impractical she is with simple tasks.
show how impractical [someone] is with [tasks]
Sumin is brilliant with numbers but hopelessly impractical when it comes to cooking or gardening.
Pim tried to assemble a flat-pack bookshelf but ended up with all the shelves upside down.
- all thumbs
informal idiom; narrower — only about clumsy hands
- inept
more formal; can suggest a lack of basic competence
- hopeless
informal and stronger; suggests no chance of improvement
文法句型
be + impractical
impractical + noun (e.g. impractical person)
用法筆記
Describes a person's lack of practical skill. Unlike 'unskilled', which usually refers to professional or trained ability, 'impractical' covers everyday hands-on tasks and household organisation.
常見錯誤
2. not likely to succeed in real life because carrying it out would be too difficul
not likely to succeed in real life because carrying it out would be too difficult, slow, or costly.
Stefan's plan to cycle across the Sahara in July was dismissed as wildly impractical by his friends.
plan dismissed as impractical
The school board rejected the proposal as impractical, since finding fifty qualified teachers in a month was impossible.
rejected as impractical
Adaeze wanted to cook dinner for forty guests in her tiny kitchen — an impractical idea from the start.
The residents argued that building a swimming pool in a desert town was a wildly impractical idea.
- unrealistic
focuses on the plan ignoring real-world limits rather than on execution difficulty
- unworkable
stronger; suggests the plan cannot function at all
- unfeasible
more formal; suggests the plan cannot be done given available resources
文法句型
it is impractical + to-infinitive
impractical + noun (e.g. impractical plan)
be + impractical
用法筆記
The most widely used sense of 'impractical'. Common with nouns such as 'plan', 'idea', 'suggestion', 'method', 'proposal'. The impersonal construction ('it is impractical to…') is a high-frequency pattern in both spoken and written English.
常見錯誤
3. designed in a way that makes ordinary daily use awkward, uncomfortable, or incon
designed in a way that makes ordinary daily use awkward, uncomfortable, or inconvenient.
Faisal bought a white suede jacket that looked great but was deeply impractical for the rainy season.
looks good but is impractical for [situation]
Sade's designer handbag was too small to hold a phone and a wallet — beautiful but impractical.
Quinn's phone had a glass back that kept slipping out of her hands — completely impractical.
The children's winter coats looked stylish but had tiny buttons that took twenty minutes to fasten each morning.
- inconvenient
broader; can also apply to schedules, locations, etc.
- awkward
emphasises physical discomfort or difficulty of use
- unsuitable
suggests the item is wrong for a specific purpose or setting
- practical
the direct opposite; convenient and suitable for everyday use
- functional
emphasises that something works well
- convenient
easy and comfortable to use
文法句型
impractical + noun (e.g. impractical shoes)
be + impractical (e.g. the design is impractical)
用法筆記
This sense applies only to physical objects — clothing, accessories, furniture, devices. It is often used with a contrasting pattern like 'beautiful but impractical' or 'looks good but is impractical' to highlight the trade-off between appearance and usefulness.