philosophical

adjective

phil·​o·​soph·​i·​cal ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-kəl How to pronounce philosophical (audio)
also -ˈzä-
variants or less commonly philosophic
ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fik How to pronounce philosophical (audio)
also -ˈzä-
Synonyms of philosophical
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 How to pronounce philosophical (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Both shows veer into surprisingly philosophical and meta explorations of love, memory, perception, and performance. — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 To cope with this reality, philosophical and religious traditions such as Buddhism and Stoicism have long focused on transience, unpredictability, and the inevitability of change and loss. — Maia Szalavitz, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026 Their enduring presence in literary and philosophical discussions speaks to the core function of the humanities—to explore, question, and better understand the forces that define our existence. — Maria Papadouris, JSTOR Daily, 20 Oct. 2026 Klara, whose philosophical raptures treat the Sun as a living deity and who is also capable of parroting any human’s voice or temperament on command, becomes fast friends with the girl. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for philosophical

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of philosophical was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing philosophical

Rhymes for philosophical

See All Rhymes for philosophical

Browse Nearby Words

philosophia prima
philosophical
philosophical analysis
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Philosophical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philosophical. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

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

More from Merriam-Webster on philosophical

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for philosophical

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All