philosophical

[ fil-uh-sof-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to philosophy:

   philosophical studies.

2. versed in or occupied with philosophy.
3. proper to or befitting a philosopher.
4. rationally or sensibly calm, patient, or composed.
5. Rare. of or relating to natural philosophy or physical science.

philosophical

/ ˌfɪləˈsɒfɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to philosophy or philosophers
2. reasonable, wise, or learned
3. calm and stoical, esp in the face of difficulties or disappointments
4. (formerly) of or relating to science or natural philosophy

Derived Forms

• ˌphiloˈsophically, adverb
• ˌphiloˈsophicalness, noun

Other Words From

• phil·o·soph·i·cal·ly adverb
• phil·o·soph·i·cal·ness noun
• an·ti·phil·o·soph·ic adjective
• an·ti·phil·o·soph·i·cal adjective
• an·ti·phil·o·soph·i·cal·ly adverb
• non·phil·o·soph·ic adjective
• non·phil·o·soph·i·cal adjective
• non·phil·o·soph·i·cal·ly adverb
• pseu·do·phil·o·soph·i·cal adjective
• qua·si-phil·o·soph·i·cal adjective
• qua·si-phil·o·soph·i·cal·ly adverb
• sem·i·phil·o·soph·ic adjective
• sem·i·phil·o·soph·i·cal adjective
• sem·i·phil·o·soph·i·cal·ly adverb
• un·phil·o·soph·ic adjective
• un·phil·o·soph·i·cal adjective
• un·phil·o·soph·i·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of philosophical¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English: “learned; pertaining to alchemy,” from Latin philosophic(us) (from Greek philosophikós; philosopher, -ic ) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Four years after concluding their work together on NBC’s “The Good Place,” a philosophical comedy that explored morality and ethics through a group of deceased characters navigating the afterlife, Schur and Danson have reunited for a tender, humorous meditation on loneliness and the search for late-in-life purpose with “A Man on the Inside,” an eight-episode Netflix series premiering Nov. 21.

From Los Angeles Times

“Not to get too academic or philosophical, but in many cultures there’s a participatory relationship with performance,” Sinclair says.

From Los Angeles Times

But Jefferson remained blind to the fact that his enslavement and subjugation of other human beings and his belief that Black people did not possess the capacity for reason provided political and philosophical backing for the “skin-aristocracy” that Douglass rejected.

From Salon

You describe the Black American liberal tradition as a cohesive philosophical framework with six key elements.

From Salon

Indeed, Douglass and other black abolitionists condemned slavery’s illiberal architecture by presenting the institution as the limit case for the principles of Christianity and philosophical notions of justice and fairness that might be described as a type of universal morality.

From Salon

Related Words

• abstract
• logical
• metaphysical
• profound
• rational
• thoughtful