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Schopenhauer

American  
[shoh-puhn-hou-er, shoh-puhn-hou-uhr] / ˈʃoʊ pənˌhaʊ ər, ˈʃoʊ pənˌhaʊ ər /

noun

  1. Arthur 1788–1860, German philosopher.


Schopenhauer British  
/ ˈʃoːpənhauər, ˌʃəʊpənˈhaʊərɪən /

noun

  1. Arthur (ˈartʊr). 1788–1860, German pessimist philosopher. In his chief work, The World as Will and Idea (1819), he expounded the view that will is the creative primary factor and idea the secondary receptive factor

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Example Sentences

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Our optimism remains real, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need regular Schopenhauer reality checks.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 3, 2026

A favorite passage from “King Lear” appears in “Birthday Candles,” and the name of an onstage goldfish — Atman — comes from the name of a poodle adored by the great German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.

From Seattle Times Apr. 15, 2022

Reason, as Schopenhauer puts it, echoing Hume, is the hard-pressed servant of the will.

From Salon Nov. 1, 2020

In his central work, “The World as Will and Representation,” Schopenhauer described human suffering as the byproduct of the fundamental indifference of nature.

From New York Times Jun. 17, 2020

Schopenhauer, Kant, Nietzsche, naturally, I read all of those.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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