philosophical

play

adjective phil·o·soph·i·cal \ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-kəl also -ˈzä-\

variants: or less commonly

philosophic

play \ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fik also -ˈzä-\

Definition of philosophical

1a : of or relating to philosophers or philosophyb : based on philosophy
2 : characterized by the attitude of a philosopher; specifically : calm or unflinching in the face of trouble, defeat, or loss

philosophically

play \ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-k(ə-)lē also -ˈzä-\ adverb

See philosophical defined for English-language learners

See philosophical defined for kids

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 of philosophical from the Web

Those laws on religious organizations were rolled back shortly after Indonesia transitioned to democracy to allow groups to set Islam (or Christianity or other ideologies) as their philosophical foundation.

— julie chernov hwang, Washington Post, "Why banning ‘extremist groups’ is dangerous for Indonesia," 19 July 2017
The lines were long, the sun and temperatures were rising, but Daniel Christenson took a philosophical approach about being among the thousands of people jamming downtown streets Tuesday morning to apply for a job at Lockheed Martin.

— max b. baker, star-telegram, "Thousands line up in Fort Worth for a shot at a job with Lockheed," 18 July 2017
KCBaroque’s three-part series fuses Baroque repertoire with these abstracted philosophical concepts.

— by libby hanssen, kansascity, "Kansas City Baroque Consortium explores journeys of faith and inspiration," 15 July 2017
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey gets philosophical when asked whether the league has slipped, even quoting a longtime manager of Manchester United.

— john zenor, chicagotribune.com, "SEC faces strong challenges as college football's top dog," 11 July 2017
To Kimball, that philosophical point may not matter.

— john bohannon, Science | AAAS, "A new breed of scientist, with brains of silicon," 5 July 2017
Now, Pritchard must answer the challenging question of what the Pacers should do next to improve their philosophical rebuild.

— nate taylor, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: Pacers’ next challenge is free agency after trading Paul George," 1 July 2017
With the Senate health-care bill delayed for now, the conservative and more centrist GOP wings need to bridge a philosophical gap to succeed.

— WSJ, "The Republicaid Party?," 28 June 2017
Even still, a philosophical argument of their equality can be put forth until the cows come home.

— leah torres, SELF, "Abortion Is Health Care—End of Story," 27 June 2017

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.

First Known Use of philosophical

15th century

Other Philosophy Terms

dialectic, dualism, epistemology, existentialism, metaphysics, ontology, sequitur, solipsism, transcendentalism

PHILOSOPHICAL Defined for English Language Learners

philosophical

play

adjective

Definition of philosophical for English Language Learners

: of, relating to, or based on philosophy
: having a calm attitude toward a difficult or unpleasant situation

PHILOSOPHICAL Defined for Kids

philosophical

play

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

variants: also

philosophic

\-ˈsä-fik\

Definition of philosophical for Students

1 : of or relating to the study of basic ideas about knowledge, right and wrong, reasoning, and the value of things
2 : showing wisdom and calm when faced with misfortune