Schopenhauer

American  

[shoh-puhn-hau-er, shoh-puhn-hau-uhr] / ˈʃoʊ pənˌhaʊ ər, ˈʃoʊ pənˌhaʊ ər /

noun

1. Arthur 1788–1860, German philosopher.

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Schopenhauer British  

/ ˈʃoːpənhauər /

noun

1. Arthur (ˈartʊr). 1788–1860, German pessimist philosopher. In his chief work, The World as Will and Idea (1819), he expounded the view that will is the creative primary factor and idea the secondary receptive factor

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Other Word Forms

• Schopenhauerism
  noun
• Schopenhauerian
  adjective

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Schopenhauer

In his program note, Sharon quotes the doom-laden philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer as an inspiration for Wagner’s nothing-is-real masterpiece.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 3, 2026

But Schopenhauer could not account for the elation with which residents of Chicago embraced an unlikely attraction this month: a hole in a sidewalk shaped like a rat.

From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024

On what philosopher she thinks of when she thinks of pasta: Maybe Schopenhauer … yes, probably him.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2023

Still, even if Schopenhauer is essentially right about the human condition, shouldn’t we try to live as if he weren’t?

From Washington Post ● Jan. 13, 2021

At its heart lies a theory Wagner drew from Schopenhauer, from Buddhism and from Christianity, that self-enlightenment, or personal redemption, is achieved by denying oneself gratification, resisting temptation and seeking an understanding of fellow-suffering.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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