philosophical
Americanadjective
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of or relating to philosophy.
philosophical studies.
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versed in or occupied with philosophy.
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proper to or befitting a philosopher.
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rationally or sensibly calm, patient, or composed.
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Rare. of or relating to natural philosophy or physical science.
adjective
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of or relating to philosophy or philosophers
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reasonable, wise, or learned
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calm and stoical, esp in the face of difficulties or disappointments
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(formerly) of or relating to science or natural philosophy
Other Word Forms
- antiphilosophic adjective
- antiphilosophical adjective
- antiphilosophically adverb
- nonphilosophic adjective
- nonphilosophical adjective
- nonphilosophically adverb
- philosophically adverb
- philosophicalness noun
- pseudophilosophical adjective
- quasi-philosophical adjective
- quasi-philosophically adverb
- semiphilosophic adjective
- semiphilosophical adjective
- semiphilosophically adverb
- unphilosophic adjective
- unphilosophical adjective
- unphilosophically adverb
Etymology
Origin of philosophical
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “learned; pertaining to alchemy,” from Latin philosophic(us) (from Greek philosophikós; philosopher, -ic ) + -al 1
Explanation
To be philosophical is to stay detached and thoughtful in the face of a setback, or to approach a tough situation in a level-headed way. When his girlfriend left him, Bernard was philosophical: "If she loves me, she'll return." In ancient Greece, philosophy literally meant a love of knowledge and wisdom. In modern times, the field of philosophy is more specifically the study of how we think through problems. Great philosophers have all sorts of theories about how and why we think and act the way we do, but the word philosophical often just means that you choose to be more thoughtful and look at the 'big picture' when dealing with challenges.
Vocabulary lists containing philosophical
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Lightning Thief
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Based on these challenges, Koch suggests it may be necessary to revisit older philosophical ideas like idealism or panpsychism.
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
The philosophical bent of Palantir came from Karp, who holds a Ph.D. in neoclassical social theory from Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
Boole translated logic into algebra—with an algebra of logic, or Boolean algebra—transforming logic from a philosophical, rule-based system into a mathematical, symbolic one.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
Eliza is more philosophical about her life, saying: "I've got a normal life, just like a normal person, just with a tiny, tiny little twist."
From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026
P.J. liked going to Mass, serving as an altar boy for a time, but he didn’t find in church doctrine the answers to the philosophical questions he was already sorting through in his mind.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
