ontological

American

[on-tl-oj-i-kuhl] / ˌɒn tlˈɒdʒ ɪ kəl /

Sometimes ontologic,

adjective

of or relating to ontology, the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such; metaphysical.

Some of the U.S. founders held an ontological belief in natural rights.

Other Word Forms

nonontological adjective
unontological adjective

Etymology

Origin of ontological

First recorded in 1700–10; ontolog(y) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

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.

With spacetime, it's applied uncritically to a mathematical description of happenings -- turning a model into an ontological theory on the nature of being.

From Science Daily • Nov. 2, 2025

Whatever Ramona wanted in the car, she’s experiencing ontological buyer’s remorse in the now.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2025

The premise, and what’s done with it, paint “Laid” into a moral and ontological corner, which it addresses temporarily by literally opening a door.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

Without diving into some kind of ontological rumination, I think we can agree that this isn’t really about “existence.”

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2024

The first is the epistemological problem, or the problem offered by human knowledge—its essential nature, its fixed limitations, if such there be, and its ontological validity.

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