a priori vs pragmatic

a priori

adj
  • Based on hypothesis and theory rather than experiment or empirical evidence. 

  • Presumed without analysis. 

  • Self-evident, intuitively obvious. 

  • Developed entirely from scratch, without deriving it from existing languages. 

adv
  • In a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation. 

pragmatic

adj
  • Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory. 

  • Philosophical; dealing with causes, reasons, and effects, rather than with details and circumstances; said of literature. 

  • Interfering in the affairs of others; officious; meddlesome. 

noun
  • A public decree. 

  • A man of business. 

  • A busybody. 

How often have the words a priori and pragmatic occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )