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Heraclitus

American  
[her-uh-klahy-tuhs] / ˌhɛr əˈklaɪ təs /

noun

  1. the Obscure, c540–c470 b.c., Greek philosopher.


Heraclitus British  
/ ˌhɛrəˈklaɪtəs /

noun

  1. ?535–?475 bc , Greek philosopher, who held that fire is the primordial substance of the universe and that all things are in perpetual flux

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Sometimes the clues are more cute than scary, such as the references to Heraclitus, the ancient Greek philosopher who asserted the illusory nature of reality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025

That Oscar-nominated film is far more gentle and sincere than “Challengers,” a trim, naughty, ferociously well-acted trifle about characters more likely to scrawl something foul on a bathroom stall than quote Heraclitus.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2024

Heraclitus held that nothing remains the same and that all is in flux.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

Heraclitus told us that ‘You could not step twice into the same river,” and oh brother is that true about economies.

From Fox News • Oct. 1, 2020

Heraclitus saith that “War is the father of all things,” for we could not subsist without strife within us and unease.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson