philosopher

[ fi-los-uh-fer ]

noun

1. a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields.
2. a person who is deeply versed in philosophy.
3. a person who establishes the central ideas of some movement, cult, etc.
4. a person who regulates their life, actions, judgments, utterances, etc., by the light of philosophy or reason.
5. a person who is rationally or sensibly calm, especially under trying circumstances.
6. Obsolete. an alchemist or occult scientist.

philosopher

/ fɪˈlɒsəfə /

noun

1. a student, teacher, or devotee of philosophy
2. a person of philosophical temperament, esp one who is patient, wise, and stoical
3. (formerly) an alchemist or devotee of occult science
4. a person who establishes the ideology of a cult or movement

   the philosopher of the revolution

philosopher

1. Someone who engages in philosophy . Some examples of philosophers are Aristotle , Immanuel Kant , and Plato .

Other Words From

• phi·loso·pher·ship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of philosopher¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, variant of philosophre from Anglo-French ( Middle French philosophe, from Latin philosophus ); replacing Old English philosoph, from Latin philosophus, from Greek philósophos “philosopher,” equivalent to philo- philo- + soph(ía) “wisdom” ( -sophy ) + -os noun suffix

Example Sentences

In 1641, French philosopher René Descartes, writing his famous “Meditations on First Philosophy,” observed that a mind is fundamentally different from the body which contains it.

From Salon

Returning to early Black American liberals allows us to envision what I call an “identity-aware” approach that recognizes history’s impact on the outcomes of various groups while lowering what philosopher Derrick Darby calls the “race-first” flag to build coalitions across racial and gender lines.

From Salon

I'm a philosopher who studies food and disgust, and I'm interested in how people react to new foods such as lab-grown meat, bugs and other so-called alternative proteins.

From Salon

During his time in Europe, he read the works of German philosopher Karl Marx.

From BBC

To not do so would be, as one philosopher put it, an “astronomical waste.”

From Salon

Related Words

• theorist