Diogenes

American  

[dahy-oj-uh-neez] / daɪˈɒdʒ əˌniz /

noun

1. 412?–323 b.c., Greek Cynic philosopher.

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Diogenes British  

/ daɪˈɒdʒɪˌniːz /

noun

1. ?412–?323 _bc , Greek Cynic philosopher, who rejected social conventions and advocated self-sufficiency and simplicity of life

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Other Word Forms

• Diogenean adjective
• Diogenic adjective

Example Sentences

It was only a matter of time before Diogenes, a charter member of the Cynic movement that began in the fourth century B.C., got his turn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Diogenes is said to have asked Alexander to stand to one side and stop blocking the sunlight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Her efforts to elevate Diogenes into the upper reaches of the Greek intellectual pantheon are ingenious but ultimately unconvincing and, at times, misleading.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

“Most of the album is sort of about me being a bit of a Diogenes about the ills of modernity while still celebrating them.”

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

“When Diogenes the Cynic heard, in a debate, that there was no such thing as change nor motion, he refuted the charge by walking about the stage during his opponent’s speech, waggling his legs.”

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson