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-

Definition of philosophical

1a : 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

Other Words from philosophical Example Sentences Learn More about philosophical

Keep scrolling for more

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

Thrive in a setting of civilized discussion with this engaging form of philosophical discourse. Occurs on the second Wednesday of the month. — Alan Goch, sun-sentinel.com, "Events for Broward and Miami-Dade counties for July 3-9," 3 July 2019 Justices are resolving very technical, practical questions about how to read a specific statute or law, not waxing philosophical about ideology. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The latest US Supreme Court rulings are blowing up pundits’ predictions," 15 June 2019 The question ultimately comes down to a philosophical one, and one which is at the very heart of football. — Musa Okwonga, Quartz Africa, "How to make the case for and against VAR—video assistant referee—in the beautiful game," 10 June 2019 With that existential question, Toy Story 4 introduces itself as a thoughtful, philosophical, completely bizarre new direction for a beloved children’s franchise. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "Toy Story 4 Is a Good Sequel. Here's What the Star Wars, Avengers and Game of Thrones Franchises Can Learn From It," 21 June 2019 The philosophical divide between the two of them isn’t quite stark enough to make next season’s expected clash that enticing. — The Atlantic, "Westworld: Is This Now?," 24 June 2018 The state House passed a bill eliminating philosophical and personal exemptions, and a similar measure is moving through the state Senate. — Ryan Blethen, The Seattle Times, "How do you persuade people to vaccinate? Clark County measles outbreak highlights the difficulties," 13 Apr. 2019 With crazy, philosophical plot twists happening every single season, The Good Place is practically made for wild fan theories. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "The 6 Craziest ‘The Good Place’ Fan Theories on Reddit," 16 May 2019 Advertising Washington is one of 17 states that allow some type of philosophical or personal exemption from the MMR vaccine. — Ryan Blethen, The Seattle Times, "How do you persuade people to vaccinate? Clark County measles outbreak highlights the difficulties," 13 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'philosophical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.