logos
noun
the rational principle that governs and develops the universe.
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logos
American
[loh-gos, -gohs, log-os]
/ ˈloʊ gɒs, -goʊs, ˈlɒg ɒs /
noun
-
(often initial capital letter) the rational principle that governs and develops the universe.
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Theology. the divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John 1:1–14.
Logos
1
British
/ ˈlɒɡɒs /
noun
logos
2
British
/ ˈlɒɡɒs /
noun
Etymology
Origin of logos
First recorded in 1580–90; from Greek lógos “word, saying; speech, discourse; thought, reckoning; proportion, ratio,” derivative of légein “to choose, gather; recount, tell over, speak”; cf. lection
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Explanation
In rhetoric, logos is a method of persuading someone using reason and logic. If you convince your grandpa that climate change is real by showing him scientific data, you're using logos. Philosophers have used the term logos since ancient times. Aristotle was the first to define the word as "reasoned discourse," and considered it one of the major forms of persuasion. Christians adopted logos to mean "the word of God," and Jungian psychology labels the rational part of the human mind as logos. Logos is a Greek word meaning "word, discourse, or reason," and it's the root of logic.
Vocabulary lists containing logos
The AP English Exam: Rhetorical and Literary Terms 1
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Introducing Rhetoric: Using the "Available Means" (Chapter 1)
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Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms, Unit 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s easiest at night to spy their subtle Route 66 logos lit up in red and green neon.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
They are often printed with the names and addresses and logos of legitimate companies and banks.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
This means they can use logos to describe the products they are selling, but can’t plaster them all over their advertising campaigns or social-media content.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
In one administrative building, old Russian logos are being replaced -- however some posters and instructions in Cyrillic script remain.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
Indeed, they are but distant cousins: logos in rhetoric being another of those bendy shadows cast on the wall of Plato’s well-known cave.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
