metaphysical

[met-uh-fiz-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. pertaining to or of the nature of metaphysics.

2. Philosophy.

   1. concerned with abstract thought or subjects, as existence, causality, or truth.

   2. concerned with first principles and ultimate grounds, as being, time, or substance.

3. highly abstract, subtle, or abstruse.

4. designating or pertaining to the poetry of an early group of 17th-century English poets, notably John Donne, whose characteristic style is highly intellectual and philosophical and features intensive use of ingenious conceits and turns of wit.

5. Archaic.,  imaginary or fanciful.

metaphysical

¹

/ ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl /

adjective

1. relating to or concerned with metaphysics

2. (of a statement or theory) having the form of an empirical hypothesis, but in fact immune from empirical testing and therefore (in the view of the logical positivists) literally meaningless

3. (popularly) abstract, abstruse, or unduly theoretical

4. incorporeal; supernatural

Metaphysical

²

/ ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪkəl /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to certain 17th-century poets who combined intense feeling with ingenious thought and often used elaborate imagery and conceits. Notable among them were Donne, Herbert, and Marvell

noun

1. a poet of this group

Other Word Forms

• metaphysically adverb
• antimetaphysical adjective
• antimetaphysically adverb
• hypermetaphysical adjective
• nonmetaphysical adjective
• nonmetaphysically adverb
• quasi-metaphysical adjective
• quasi-metaphysically adverb
• unmetaphysical adjective
• unmetaphysically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of metaphysical¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English metaphisicalle, from Medieval Latin metaphysicālis; equivalent to metaphysic + -al ¹

Example Sentences

“There’s some strange magnetic force that’s in us — you can talk about God or whatever you want to call it — but I think it’s a metaphysical process that’s in us.”

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Wellness has become the new luxury, but with a metaphysical twist.

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As a 3-year-old, Smith recalls grilling her mother during evening prayers, posing metaphysical questions about Jesus and the soul, immersing herself in Bible study and later joining her mother as a Jehovah’s Witness.

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If the Renaissance had been known as the Resurrection, might we be more aware of the period’s metaphysical colorings?

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A pivotal town in the Civil War that hosted numerous major battles, Gettysburg is a quaint town with no shortage of legends, which lend life to its more metaphysical residents.

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Related Words

• abstract 
• abstruse 
• esoteric 
• mystical 
• philosophical 
• spiritual 
• supernatural 
• theoretical