Socrates

American  

[sok-ruh-teez] / ˈsɒk rəˌtiz /

noun

1. 469?–399 b.c., Athenian philosopher.

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Socrates British  

/ ˈsɒkrəˌtiːz /

noun

1. ?470–399 _bc , Athenian philosopher, whose beliefs are known only through the writings of his pupils Plato and Xenophon. He taught that virtue was based on knowledge, which was attained by a dialectical process that took into account many aspects of a stated hypothesis. He was indicted for impiety and corruption of youth (399) and was condemned to death. He refused to flee and died by drinking hemlock

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Socrates Cultural  

1. An ancient Greek philosopher who was the teacher of Plato.

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Socrates said that an oracle of the gods had pronounced him the wisest of all people, because he knew how little he knew.

When Socrates was an old man, the citizens of Athens (see also Athens) condemned him to death, alleging that he denied the reality of the gods and corrupted the youth of Athens. Socrates calmly drank the poison he was given — hemlock — and died a noble death.

The Socratic method of teaching proceeds by question and answer as opposed to lecture.

Other Word Forms

• anti-Socrates adjective
• pro-Socrates adjective

Example Sentences

From Socrates to social media, society has always worried about protecting the young.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

At Socrates, examples include “A Sea In-MOTION,” a star-shaped assemblage of bamboo fences by the Pioneers Go East Collective; and Natalia Nakazawa’s part-buckyball, part-yurt “Dome Cartographies.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

The HBO adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel “Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned” starred Fishburne as Socrates Fortlow, an angry ex-convict trying to deal with life outside prison.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025

No admiration from Socrates then, but perhaps plenty from Aristotle.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2024

“You know, in ancient Greece, Aristophanes would write plays about how much of a dipshit Socrates was and perform them right there in Athens. Talk about cutthroat, right?”

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King