philosophical

adjective

phil·​o·​soph·​i·​cal ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-kəl 

also -ˈzä-

variants or less commonly philosophic

ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fik 

also -ˈzä-

1

a

: of or relating to philosophers or philosophy

b

: based on philosophy

2

: characterized by the attitude of a philosopher

specifically : calm or unflinching in the face of trouble, defeat, or loss

philosophically

ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-k(ə-)lē 

also -ˈzä-

adverb

Examples of philosophical in a Sentence

They got into a philosophical debate about what it means for something to be “natural.”

He's trying to be philosophical about their decision since he knows he can't change it.

Recent Examples on the Web

But that fear is also producing an increasingly dangerous critical climate in which audiences are being subtly encouraged to inspect every project for a philosophical smoking gun. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026

Voters, whether explicitly or not, wrestle with this philosophical fight. — Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

It’s written in the postmodern genre called autofiction, in which autobiography is fictionalized to prioritize psychological and philosophical truths over literal facts. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

Did the person who edited Albert Einstein’s April 1950 article on his general theory of relativity enjoy a philosophical chat with the revolutionary thinker? — Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing philosophical

• philosophical analysis

Rhymes for philosophical

• theosophical
• unphilosophical

Kids Definition

philosophical

adjective

philo·​soph·​i·​cal

ˌfil-ə-ˈsäf-i-kəl

variants also philosophic

-ik

1

: of, relating to, or based on philosophy

2

: characterized by the attitude of a philosopher

especially : calm and patient when faced with trouble

philosophically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb