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Showing results for peripatetic. Search instead for Peripateticism.
Synonyms

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.

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
"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

noun

  1. a peripatetic person

"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
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

"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

noun

  1. a student of Aristotelianism

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The peripatetic, polarizing basketball coach steers St. John’s to its first Sweet 16 in 27 seasons.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

But sales in those countries have in the main been peripatetic, with many firms only offering tastings or serving it in upmarket restaurants for short periods.

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2025

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

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2025

Where “Doc” takes place on the quieter floors of a big city hospital, “The Pitt” — shot with peripatetic handheld cameras — is set in its noisiest part, the emergency room.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2025

It’s the reason the first philosophers were peripatetic.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.