ontology
Americannoun
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the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such.
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(loosely) metaphysics.
noun
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philosophy the branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being
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logic the set of entities presupposed by a theory
Other Word Forms
- ontologic adjective
- ontological adjective
- ontologically adverb
- ontologist noun
- ontologistic adjective
Etymology
Origin of ontology
From the New Latin word ontologia, dating back to 1715–25. See onto-, -logy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
UBS says customer feedback on Palantir’s data ontology layer shows “no evidence of churn or heightened competition in Palantir’s numbers or in our customer checks.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Palantir’s ontology, the core architecture within its main platforms like Foundry and Gotham.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Many Nigerians believe in the supernatural, and this often stems from the animistic ontology that undergirds self and being in many Nigerian communities.
From New York Times • Feb. 7, 2024
It quantified the phenotypic risk at the gene ontology term level, without a reference genome.
From Science Daily • Oct. 23, 2023
These were the great, complex questions of ontology that tormented him.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
