peripatetic

American  

[per-uh-puh-tet-ik] / ˌpɛr ə pəˈtɛt ɪk /

adjective

1. walking or traveling about; itinerant.

   Synonyms:

   vagrant, roving, wandering

2. (initial capital letter) of or relating to Aristotle, who taught philosophy while walking in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.

3. (initial capital letter) of or relating to the Aristotelian school of philosophy.

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noun

1. a person who walks or travels about.

2. (initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school.

peripatetic ¹ British  

/ ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk /

adjective

1. itinerant

2. employed in two or more educational establishments and travelling from one to another

   a peripatetic football coach

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noun

1. a peripatetic person

Peripatetic ² British  

/ ˌpɛrɪpəˈtɛtɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to the teachings of Aristotle, who used to teach philosophy while walking about the Lyceum in ancient Athens

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noun

1. a student of Aristotelianism

Other Word Forms

• peripatetically adverb
• peripateticism noun

Etymology

Origin of peripatetic

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin peripatēticus < Greek peripatētikós of Aristotle and his school, literally, walking about, equivalent to peripatē- (verbid stem of peripateîn to walk about, equivalent to peri- peri- + pateîn to walk; akin to path ) + -tikos -tic

Example Sentences

He draws on the photographer’s diaries and autobiography to portray his subject as a gentle-souled adventurer, driven into a peripatetic life by wanderlust and financial necessity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

According to Elaine Godfrey of the Atlantic, that relationship is the one "throughline" in her politically peripatetic career.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2025

For many athletes retirement means the end of a career; for the peripatetic Donovan, it’s become an opportunity to try out a whole bunch of new ones.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2024

But Horn, 68, an intellectually peripatetic Conceptualist, has an innate confidence, which may stem from the fact that she does not feel she fits in anywhere, personally or professionally, and never has.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2024

From their habit of strolling around the campus of a great university or through the streets of the city while discussing such issues, the old school of ‘scientific’ philosophy was known as the peripatetic school.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• itinerant
• nomadic
• roving