philosophize

American  

[fi-los-uh-fahyz] / fɪˈlɒs əˌfaɪz /

especially British, philosophise

verb (used without object)

philosophized, philosophizing

1. to speculate or theorize, usually in a superficial or imprecise manner.

2. to think or reason as a philosopher.

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philosophize British  

/ fɪˈlɒsəˌfaɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to make philosophical pronouncements and speculations

2. (tr) to explain philosophically

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Other Word Forms

• overphilosophize
  verb (used without object)
• philosophization
  noun
• philosophizer
  noun
• well-philosophized
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of philosophize

First recorded in 1585–95; philosoph(y) + -ize

Explanation

To philosophize is to think philosophically or just deeply and reflectively. On a long car trip, after you run out of school gossip, you and your friends might philosophize on the nature of man, or the question "What is beauty?" To philosophize is not exactly the same thing as doing philosophy. Often if we say someone is philosophizing, we are kind of making fun of him, as if all of the sudden he thinks he’s Socrates, but really he’s just parroting Dr. Phil. If you stop driving in the middle of the road to tell your friend a revelation you’ve just had about the nature of suburban society, she might say, “Stop philosophizing and drive!”

Example Sentences

Philosophize as we will, we cannot comprehend why it is so—why Nature requires the sacrifice of one of her creatures for the sustenance of another.

From Popular Adventure Tales by Reid, Mayne

Indeed you Philosophize very well; but in the mean Time I'm in Perplexity.

From Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. by Erasmus, Desiderius

Philosophize as we may, it is certain that we are surrounded by the infinite, and are of the infinite.

From Nature and Culture by Rice, Harvey

God forbid, saith some bodie in Plato, that to Philosophize, be to learne many things, and to exercise the arts.

From Literary and Philosophical Essays: French, German and Italian by Various

Philosophize as I might, I thought of her continually in that doleful House of Martha; and as I thought of her there I cried out against the shortcomings of civilization.

From The House of Martha by Stockton, Frank Richard