philosopher king

American  

noun

1. the Platonic ideal of a ruler, philosophically trained and enlightened.

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philosopher-king Cultural  

1. In the Republic by Plato, the ideal ruler, who has the virtue and wisdom of a philosopher.

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Etymology

Origin of philosopher king

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

There he met Peter Thiel, the self-styled philosopher king of the right-wing tech community.

From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025

At nChain’s London offices, Dr. Wright, an Australian computer scientist, was treated as a sort of philosopher king.

From New York Times • May 21, 2024

He’s a gentle philosopher king and a spiritual seeker who wants to leave a “service legacy on the Earth,” he said.

From Washington Post • Sep. 27, 2021

Influenced by libertarian Ayn Rand and Tolkien's fantasy trilogy, Thiel, then in his early 30s, carried himself like a contrarian philosopher king.

From Salon • Jun. 25, 2021

The national Assembly, from respect to the memory of the philosopher king, had preserved to Luckner the pension of 60,000 francs which had been paid to him during the Revolution.

From History of the Girondists, Volume I Personal Memoirs of the Patriots of the French Revolution by Ryde, H. T.