ontological

Sometimes onto·logic,

[on-tl-oj-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. of or relating to ontology, the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such; metaphysical.

   Some of the U.S. founders held an ontological belief in natural rights.

Other Word Forms

• nonontological adjective
• unontological adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ontological¹

First recorded in 1700–10; ontolog(y) ( def. ) + -ical ( def. )

Example Sentences

With spacetime, it's applied uncritically to a mathematical description of happenings -- turning a model into an ontological theory on the nature of being.

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How much ontological truth were we capable of?

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Whatever Ramona wanted in the car, she’s experiencing ontological buyer’s remorse in the now.

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The premise, and what’s done with it, paint “Laid” into a moral and ontological corner, which it addresses temporarily by literally opening a door.

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Without diving into some kind of ontological rumination, I think we can agree that this isn’t really about “existence.”

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Related Words

• existential 
• metaphysical 
• phenomenological