Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

telos

noun
te·​los | \ˈte-ˌläs, ˈtē- \

Definition of telos 

: an ultimate end

Examples of telos in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

 His telos—his endgame—is the destabilization, the overcoming, of the whole Western order. — vanityfair.com, "The Secret Source of Putin’s Evil," 10 Jan. 2017 His telos—his endgame—is the destabilization, the overcoming, of the whole Western order. — Peter Savodnik, The Hive, "The Secret Source of Putin’s Evil," 10 Jan. 2017

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

First Known Use of telos

1904, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for telos

Greek; probably akin to Greek tellein to accomplish, tlēnai to bear — more at tolerate

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about telos

Statistics for telos

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for telos

The first known use of telos was in 1904

See more words from the same year

More from Merriam-Webster on telos

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with telos

Comments on telos

What made you want to look up telos? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

lunette

the figure or shape of a crescent moon

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Late Autumn 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

  • frosted-autumn-leaves
  • Which is a synonym of yahoo?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games