philosopher

American  

[fi-los-uh-fer] / fɪˈlɒs ə fər /

noun

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

• philosophership noun

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” ( -sophy ) + -os noun suffix

Example Sentences

He sounds thoughtful now, like a philosopher musing about the meaning of life.

From Literature

"The concept of time has troubled philosophers and physicists for thousands of years, and the advent of quantum mechanics has not simplified the problem," says Professor Hugo Dil, a physicist at EPFL.

From Science Daily

The senses offer a rich seam of research and philosophers, neuroscientists and psychologists work together at the Centre for the Study of the Senses at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study.

From Science Daily

She discovered the philosopher David Hume, intrigued by his “problem of induction,” which challenged the logic of the idea that something will happen again, like the sun rising, because it did so in the past.

From The Wall Street Journal

He turned into a sneering moral philosopher, all the while keeping his feet up.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• theorist