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

The French writer Jules Verne predicted, in 1902, that the newspaper would permanently displace the novel; the Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset posited, twenty-three years later, that the great literary themes had been all but exhausted. — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 8 July 2026

James DiFrisco, a philosopher of theoretical biology at the Francis Crick Institute in London, thinks not. — Quanta Magazine, 8 July 2026

As philosopher Martha Nussbaum argues in Not for Profit, universities serve broader civic, cultural, and moral functions. — Jason Benedict, Fortune, 7 July 2026

In my view, an especially helpful approach to answering such questions is to revisit the towering but neglected influence of the French philosopher Montesquieu on the founding of this country. — Robert A. Ballingall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026

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