philosopher

American  

[fi-los-uh-fer] / fɪˈlɒs ə fər /

noun

philosophers plural

1. a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields.

2. a person who is deeply versed in philosophy.

3. a person who establishes the central ideas of some movement, cult, etc.

4. a person who regulates their life, actions, judgments, utterances, etc., by the light of philosophy or reason.

5. a person who is rationally or sensibly calm, especially under trying circumstances.

6. Obsolete. an alchemist or occult scientist.

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philosopher British  

/ fɪˈlɒsəfə /

noun

1. a student, teacher, or devotee of philosophy

2. a person of philosophical temperament, esp one who is patient, wise, and stoical

3. (formerly) an alchemist or devotee of occult science

4. a person who establishes the ideology of a cult or movement

   the philosopher of the revolution

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philosopher Cultural  

1. Someone who engages in philosophy. Some examples of philosophers are Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and Plato.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• philosophership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• philosophers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of philosopher

First recorded before 900; Middle English, variant of philosophre from Anglo-French ( Middle French philosophe, from Latin philosophus ); replacing Old English philosoph, from Latin philosophus, from Greek philósophos “philosopher,” equivalent to philo- philo- + soph(ía) “wisdom” ( see -sophy) + -os noun suffix

Explanation

A philosopher is someone engaged in the study of philosophy. Have you ever wondered about the meaning of life? This is the type of weighty question a philosopher tackles. In ancient Greek, the word philosopho meant a “lover of wisdom.” Thales of Miletus, who lived in the 7th century B.C., generally gets credit for being the first western philosopher, though he is much less well known than Socrates, Plato or Aristotle. René Descartes, famous for his declaration, “I think, therefore I am,” is considered the first modern philosopher, though he lived in the 17th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

philosopher philosophers

Historians Timothy Snyder and Marci Shore, as well as philosopher Jason Stanley, left their jobs at Yale University to take positions at the University of Toronto.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

That phrase was lifted from philosopher John Locke’s “natural rights” of “life, liberty and property.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Here the enduring wisdom of Indian spiritual philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti, Ojai’s informal patron saint, serves even to hold a recent incursion of ultra-rich to account.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Prof János Tóth, a philosopher studying demographic issues at Hungary's University of Szeged, believes the incentives worked especially well for one particular group - the lower middle class in the countryside.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

There is the famous example of the philosopher Cremonini, who, despite being a close friend of Galileo, refused to look through his telescope.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Writing in the Guardian, philosophers Mark Alfano and Michał Klincewicz called this AI-generated “slopaganda” — and argued that it works precisely because the aesthetic presentation bypasses reasoning and hits our emotions directly.

From Salon ● May 24, 2026

Since we—the authors of this essay—are philosophers, maybe you’d expect us to say it’s important to do all these virtuous things for the right reasons.

From Slate ● May 15, 2026

If that possibility sounds radical, it’s worth noting that growing numbers of philosophers and scientists are exploring alternative models.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026

Jürgen Habermas, one of the most influential philosophers and public intellectuals in post-war Germany, has died aged 96.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

With the Renaissance revival of Stoicism the word ‘philosophical’ acquired a new meaning: philosophers, it was held, were able to moderate their passions and to be unmoved by the blows of fortune.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• theorist