Socrates

[ sok-ruh-teez ]

/ ˈsɒk rəˌtiz /

Save This Word!

noun

469?–399 b.c., Athenian philosopher.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE 12 TYPES OF VERB TENSES!

Loosen up your grammar muscles because it’s time to test your knowledge on verb tenses!

Question 1 of 6

The verb tenses can be split into which 3 primary categories?

action, linking, and helping

dynamic, static, and auxiliary

past, present, and future

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

OTHER WORDS FROM Socrates

an·ti-Soc·ra·tes, adjective

Words nearby Socrates

sock puppet, sock suspender, socle, socman, Socotra, Socrates, Socratic, Socratic irony, Socratic method, Socred, sod

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use Socrates in a sentence

Border authorities said Socrates had to be sent back to Africa, revaccinated and quarantined there for 28 days before returning.
Inside the Fall of the CDC|by James Bandler, Patricia Callahan, Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg|October 15, 2020|ProPublica
For Socrates, the puzzle of politics and “ideology” could not be unraveled without understanding what ruled human souls.
Everything Is Politics to the Right, Even Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Death|James Poulos|February 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The youthful nobility were singled out by Socrates because they, above all others, were both erotic and courageous.
How to Fight for Freedom in 2014|James Poulos|December 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Like Socrates, Street Epistemologists are to understand themselves as inquisitive teachers, not combative lecturers.
Atheist Philosopher Peter Boghossian’s Guide to Converting Believers|Michael Schulson|November 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The unexamined life is not worth living, according to Socrates.
London’s Sober Goodbye to Margaret Thatcher|Jamie Dettmer|April 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
That was the most ill-advised drink of liquid since Socrates took hemlock.
Marco Rubio, Substitute Teacher|Michael Tomasky|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Socrates, the wisest of men in the eyes of Apollo, admired this exercise and learned dancing in his old age.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
Lucian attaches an intelligible meaning to these flippant expletives, and represents Socrates as justifying their use.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Besides the oath of Socrates, “by the dog,” he is reported to have sworn variously by the goose and by the plane-tree.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Socrates learned his philosophy from no one, and struck out an entirely new path.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
Bacon was disgusted with ineffective logical speculations, and Socrates with ineffective physical researches.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord

British Dictionary definitions for Socrates

Socrates

/ (ˈsɒkrəˌtiːz) /

noun

?470–399 bc, Athenian philosopher, whose beliefs are known only through the writings of his pupils Plato and Xenophon. He taught that virtue was based on knowledge, which was attained by a dialectical process that took into account many aspects of a stated hypothesis. He was indicted for impiety and corruption of youth (399) and was condemned to death. He refused to flee and died by drinking hemlock

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

Cultural definitions for Socrates

Socrates

[ (sok-ruh-teez) ]

An ancient Greek philosopher who was the teacher of Plato.

notes for Socrates

Socrates said that an oracle of the gods had pronounced him the wisest of all people, because he knew how little he knew.

notes for Socrates

The Socratic method of teaching proceeds by question and answer as opposed to lecture.

notes for Socrates

When Socrates was an old man, the citizens of Athens (see also Athens) condemned him to death, alleging that he denied the reality of the gods and corrupted the youth of Athens. Socrates calmly drank the poison he was given — hemlock — and died a noble death.