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

Later he emerged as a kind of philosopher king of the postwar nuclear era, publicly opposing the development of the hydrogen bomb and becoming a symbol both of America’s technological genius and of its conscience.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2023

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

A philosopher king is above all such considerations.

From The Queen's Necklace by Dumas père, Alexandre