Hegelian

American

[hey-gey-lee-uhn, hi-jee-] / heɪˈgeɪ li ən, hɪˈdʒi- /

adjective

of, relating to, or characteristic of Hegel or his philosophical system.

noun

a person who accepts the philosophical principles of Hegel.
an authority or expert on the writings of Hegel.

Etymology

Origin of Hegelian

First recorded in 1830–40; Hegel + -ian

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.

The biggest flaw in the Hegelian viewpoint about supposedly great men is that his entire hypothesis about an unfolding historical process is flat wrong.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

For example, Mr. Mansfield dismisses the idea of a Judeo-Christian tradition as a Hegelian confection.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

But what happens when the other kind of History — academic, not Hegelian — starts to collapse?

From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2022

Contrast the Hegelian and Marxian concepts of dialectic.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

The pragmatism of the day is a striking confirmation of this opinion, for it is often the expression of Hegelian ideas in Darwinian and Spencerian terminology.

From International Congress of Arts and Science, Volume I Philosophy and Metaphysics by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023