metaphysical

adjective meta·phys·i·cal \ -ˈfi-zi-kəl \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: metaphysical in a Sentence

Definition of metaphysical

1 : of or relating to metaphysics

metaphysical truth

metaphysical speculation

2 a : of or relating to the transcendent (see transcendent 1) or to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses

fleeing from experience to a metaphysical realm
—John Dewey

b : supernatural

fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crown'd
—William Shakespeare

3 : highly abstract or abstruse; also : theoretical

metaphysical reasoning

4 often capitalized : of or relating to poetry especially of the early 17th century that is highly intellectual and philosophical and marked by unconventional figurative language

metaphysical poets

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metaphysically

play \-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

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Examples of metaphysical in a Sentence

a metaphysical world of spirits
a work that deals with such metaphysical questions as the very nature of knowledge

Recent Examples of metaphysical from the Web

At issue is an almost metaphysical question of what defines a diamond.

— elizabeth paton, The Seattle Times, "De Beers sees new sparkle in synthetic diamonds to be manufactured in Oregon," 2 June 2018
As the 26-year-old Brooklyn native will tell you in her signature metaphysical-no-chaser way, when your mental health is in a bad place every aspect of your life is affected.

— martine thompson, Bon Appetit, "Going to Bed with Emilia Ortiz," 29 May 2018
On May 24th the Church of England will launch an app for the Alexa platform that allows users to pose metaphysical queries to the speaker on their kitchen counter.

— The Economist, "Alexa, who is God? A new app aims to win over agnostics," 23 May 2018
Episode 9 takes us deep into metaphysical sci-fi territory, with Jiya learning more about her visions from a mentally unstable pilot who’s also been seeing visions.

— rachel kaufman, Smithsonian, "Pilot, Thinker, Soldier, Spy: The Epic “Timeless” Season Finale Twofer," 13 May 2018
And so any ethics issues involving either Trump or the businesses putting money in his pocket necessarily disappear into a metaphysical black hole.

— bess levin, The Hive, "Is China Straight-Up Bribing Donald Trump?," 15 May 2018
For that, she’s recently turned to a faith her grandmother once practiced in secret—metaphysical Christianity.

— michael lapointe, The Atlantic, "The Twisted Tale of the World’s Largest Pearl," 11 May 2018
There is plenty of action and violence in the first half of the season, but what will empower the show’s longevity is its metaphysical theme, the exploration of the meaning and definition of human existence.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Westworld’ comes undone — brilliantly— in new season," 17 Apr. 2018
The word consciousness is this idea of the relationship between the physical and the metaphysical and that idea of attaining some kind of sense of oneness and universality or bliss through meditation and devotion.

— audrey gorden, RedEye Chicago, "Thurston Moore talks consciousness, activism and 'Gilmore Girls' ahead of his Pitchfork performance," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metaphysical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.