philosophical

adjective

phil·​o·​soph·​i·​cal ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-kəl 

 also  -ˈzä-

variants or less commonly philosophic

ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fik 

 also  -ˈzä-

1

a

: of or relating to philosophers or philosophy

b

: based on philosophy

2

: characterized by the attitude of a philosopher

specifically : calm or unflinching in the face of trouble, defeat, or loss

philosophically

ˌfi-lə-ˈsä-fi-k(ə-)lē 

 also  -ˈzä-

adverb

Examples of philosophical in a Sentence

They got into a philosophical debate about what it means for something to be “natural.”

He's trying to be philosophical about their decision since he knows he can't change it.

Recent Examples on the Web

The concept has roots in philosophical discussions about consciousness, first introduced by Alan Turing in his early work on machine intelligence and later explored by thinkers like David Chalmers. —Douglas B. Laney, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

The class begins by exploring the American Dream’s historical and philosophical background. —Mark Robert Rank, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2025

The Front Man wages a philosophical war with Gi-hun by helping him in his literal war against the Games, posing as a fellow participant named Young-il. —Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Jan. 2025

From the onset of Schauffele’s relationship with golf, motivational allegories and philosophical adages were fed into his psyche. —Gabby Herzig, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing philosophical

• philosophical analysis

Kids Definition

philosophical

adjective

philo·​soph·​i·​cal

ˌfil-ə-ˈsäf-i-kəl

variants also philosophic

-ik

1

: of, relating to, or based on philosophy

2

: characterized by the attitude of a philosopher

especially : calm and patient when faced with trouble

philosophically

-i-k(ə-)lē

adverb