ontological

adjective

on·​to·​log·​i·​cal ˌän-tə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

1

: of or relating to ontology

an ontological principle

2

: relating to or based upon being or existence

Virtual environments engage millions of people and billions of dollars each year. What is the ontological status of the virtual objects that populate those environments?

—David Leech Anderson

ontologically

ˌän-tə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of ontological in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The former focuses on man and nature (namely Navajos and Churro sheep); the latter, an ontological turn from Diné materiality toward Western enlightenment’s supercilious man-versus-nature divide. —Petala Ironcloud, ARTnews.com, 9 Oct. 2024

But another is ontological: What kind of man could make this work? —Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024

Its ontological status is of something prior to functions and even to things. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 13 June 2024

To set up his explanation, Sartre introduces the ontological distinction between being-in-itself and being-for-itself. —Theodore McDarrah, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ontological

• ontological argument