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• peripatetic
  peripatetic

  adjective

  walking or traveling about; itinerant.
• Peripatetic
  Peripatetic

  adjective

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

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

• peripateticism
  noun
• peripatetically
  adverb

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

Explanation

If you're reading this on a treadmill or while taking a walk, you may know about the peripatetic, or walking, philosopher Aristotle, who taught while strolling with his students. Or, maybe you just like being a peripatetic, a walking wanderer. Peri- is the Greek word for "around," and peripatetic is an adjective that describes someone who likes to walk or travel around. Peripatetic is also a noun for a person who travels from one place to another or moves around a lot. If you walk in a circle, you are peripatetic, or walking, but you aren’t a peripatetic, or wanderer, unless you actually go somewhere.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peripatetic Peripatetic

The latter is the hangover from a peripatetic childhood defined and dominated by his charismatic father, a once-idealistic scholar whose dreams of a Arab utopia soured into authoritarian megalomania.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

This was a fossilized program taking on a divisive, peripatetic local who’d pledged his prior job was going to be his “last job.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

When Covid hit in 2020, she was working as a full-time peripatetic music teacher, and as learning moved online, she realised she was no longer tied to the UK.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

After spending his peripatetic 20s and 30s as a self-described “almost-successful serial entrepreneur,” he decided to settle down when he turned 40.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

I had to be peripatetic eyes and ears, a kind of moving gelatin plate.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Aristotle used to walk around with his students while he taught, keeping their restless bodies occupied in a West Wing–style pedagogy known as the Peripatetic school.

From Slate ● May 11, 2017

Peripatetic and reflective, bookish and quietly beguiling, the narrator of “Land of Love and Ruins” has clear antecedents in the W.G.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2016

Peripatetic tributaries lashed out of control across the landscape.

From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2013

Peripatetic Sam Yorty, 64, who spent much of his twelve-year tenure as Los Angeles mayor out of town, has finally found a job that keeps him home.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now, it is probable that the arrangement of the works which we are considering was done by the Peripatetic successors of Aristotle.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 5 "Arculf" to "Armour, Philip" by Various

Related Words

• itinerant
• nomadic
• roving