philosophical

adjective

phil·​o·​soph·​i·​cal ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-kəl How to pronounce philosophical (audio)
also -ˈzä-
variants or less commonly philosophic
ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fik How to pronounce philosophical (audio)
also -ˈzä-
Synonyms of philosophicalnext
1
a
: of or relating to philosophers or philosophy
b
: based on philosophy
2
: characterized by the attitude of a philosopher
specifically : calm or unflinching in the face of trouble, defeat, or loss
philosophically adverb

Examples of philosophical in a Sentence

They got into a philosophical debate about what it means for something to be “natural.” He's trying to be philosophical about their decision since he knows he can't change it.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Tom then explains the actual Trolley Problem, the philosophical debate about having to choose whether to pull a lever that will prevent a runaway trolley from killing multiple people, but will still result in the death of a single person. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 17 June 2026 The Historyverse project will be produced through Galleri5, Collective Studios’s in-house AI storytelling studio, with the company positioning emerging technology as a complement to the source material’s narrative and philosophical core rather than a departure from it. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 16 June 2026 While there is the philosophical angle of taking the good with the bad, Allen notes that kids can get to the latter awfully easily. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 15 June 2026 Vrousalis said that the claim that Arivu’s individual benefit demonstrates the platform’s positive financial impact involves one of the core philosophical questions in economics. T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 12 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for philosophical

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of philosophical was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Philosophical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philosophical. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

philosophical

adjective
philo·​soph·​i·​cal
ˌfil-ə-ˈsäf-i-kəl
variants also philosophic
-ik
1
: of, relating to, or based on philosophy
2
: characterized by the attitude of a philosopher
especially : calm and patient when faced with trouble
philosophically
-i-k(ə-)lē
adverb

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