Epicurus

American  

[ep-i-kyoor-uhs] / ˌɛp ɪˈkyʊər əs /

noun

1. 342?–270 b.c., Greek philosopher.

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Epicurus British  

/ ˌɛpɪˈkjʊərəs /

noun

1. 341–270 _bc , Greek philosopher, who held that the highest good is pleasure and that the world is a series of fortuitous combinations of atoms

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Example Sentences

But the statement that death is nothing to us comes from Epicurus, not Diogenes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Scholars believe the style of the writing is typical of the Greek philosopher Philodemus, who followed the teachings of Epicurus, and may have been philosopher-in-residence at Herculaneum.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2024

But that doesn't stop him from blatantly misunderstanding the Greek philosopher Epicurus in his nonsensical complaint about "Epicurean liberalism."

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2023

There are parts of On Nature, written by Epicurus himself, and works by a little-known philosopher named Philodemus on topics such as vices, music, rhetoric and death.

From Scientific American • Oct. 17, 2023

The atomism of Democritus, Epicurus and Lucretius implied that the universe is made up of building blocks that function through their size, shape and solidity.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton