philosopher

noun

phi·​los·​o·​pher fə-ˈlä-s(ə-)fər 

1

a

: a person who seeks wisdom or enlightenment : scholar, thinker

b

: a student of philosophy

2

a

: a person whose philosophical perspective makes meeting trouble with equanimity easier

b

: an expounder of a theory in a particular area of experience

c

: one who philosophizes

Examples of philosopher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Advice on life’s trickiest situations and moral dilemmas from the philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah. —Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025

According to the first-century Jewish philosopher Philo and the historian Josephus, Pilate had his soldiers carry objects that honored Roman emperors into Jerusalem, which Jewish residents saw as sacrilegious. —Nathanael Andrade, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025

The way The Pitt employs silence reminds me of the work of avant-garde composer and philosopher John Cage, a famous practitioner and theorizer of the power of silence. —Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2025

Jan-Werner Müller is a German historian and philosopher who has written a number of studies of right-wing populism. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English philosophe, philosophre, from Anglo-French, from Latin philosophus, from Greek philosophos, from phil- + sophia wisdom, from sophos wise

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing philosopher

• philosopher's stone

Kids Definition

philosopher

noun

phi·​los·​o·​pher fə-ˈläs-(ə-)fər 

1

a

: a person who seeks wisdom or enlightenment : scholar, thinker

b

: a student of philosophy

2

: a person who is calm and patient when faced with trouble