ontological

adjective

on·​to·​log·​i·​cal ˌän-tə-ˈlä-ji-kəl How to pronounce ontological (audio)
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 adverb

Examples of ontological in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Spoto’s main focus is to merge philosophical and ideological themes with ontological practices around image-making. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026 While cancellation options are available in advance of the first, second and third financial quarters—broadly speaking, advertisers may back out of between 25% and 50% of their upfront allocations for each of those periods—the ontological status of fall buys is a lot less equivocal. Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2026 The Sullys learned this the hard way in The Way of Water, and this story doesn't shy away from the necessity of an armed revolution when an ontological evil comes knocking. Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 19 Dec. 2025 The program incorporates criteria outlined in the AI ontological specifications released under Creative Commons licenses. IEEE Spectrum, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ontological

Word History

First Known Use

1705, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ontological was in 1705

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Cite this Entry

“Ontological.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ontological. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.

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