Hegel

American  

[hey-guhl] / ˈheɪ gəl /

noun

1. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich 1770–1831, German philosopher.

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Hegel British  

/ hɪˈɡeɪlɪən, ˈheɪɡəl, heɪˈɡiː- /

noun

1. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich (ɡeˈɔrk ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈfriːdrɪç). 1770–1831, German philosopher, who created a fundamentally influential system of thought. His view of man's mind as the highest expression of the Absolute is expounded in The Phenomenology of Mind (1807). He developed his concept of dialectic, in which the contradiction between a proposition (thesis) and its antithesis is resolved at a higher level of truth (synthesis), in Science of Logic (1812–16)

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Other Word Forms

• Hegelian adjective
• Hegelianism noun

Example Sentences

Which fairly raises a few questions about the utility of employing Hegel as a guide to historical significance.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

Plato and Hegel, in case you were wondering.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026

On his desk were books by Oscar Wilde and Hegel.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2024

“North Korea in my opinion is really stepping up their game,” said Hegel, who works for U.S. firm SentinelOne.

From Reuters • Jul. 20, 2023

In his conversations, he appears to be more a philosopher than someone with a medical and psychological background, quoting Hegel as much as Freud, Plato as much as Jung.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady