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

Although it’s generally thought that consciousness isn’t necessary for intelligence, it’s often intertwined with discussions of AGI because creating a self-aware machine would have many philosophical, societal, and legal implications. —Edmon Begoli, IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2024

Many of them originated with Matt King, whom Di Ianni credits for leading a significant portion of Meow Wolf’s philosophical bent. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing philosophical

• philosophical analysis

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