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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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It is well to remember also Heraclitus, who observed that all is flux.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 11, 2026

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

“Swift Arrow,” deftly interpreted by Peck and Mejia, comes with an epigraph from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “The harmony of the ordered-world is one of contrary tensions, like that of the harp or bow.”

From Washington Post May 3, 2021

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

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