philosophy

noun

(uncountable) An academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than empiricism, often attempting to provide explanations relating to general concepts such as existence and rationality.

(countable) A view or outlook regarding fundamental principles underlying some domain.

(countable) A comprehensive system of belief.

(countable) A general principle (usually moral).

(uncountable, dated) A calm and thoughtful demeanor; calmness of temper.

(uncountable, originally, now rare) The love of wisdom.

(countable, archaic) A broader branch of (non-applied) science.

(printing, dated) Synonym of small pica (especially in French printing).

verb

(now rare) To philosophize.

Roots

philosphil- · Greek · loving sophia-soph · Greek · wisdom

Synonyms for philosophy

hylomorphismn hylozoismn peripateticismn nominalismn ontologismn epistemologyn psychismn intuitionismn physicalismn atomismn

Synonyms & related words for philosophy

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of philosophy — including hylomorphism, hylozoism, peripateticism, nominalism, ontologism, epistemology. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to philosophy

Explore words related to philosophy — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include necessarian, doctrine, panlogism, necessitarianism, philosophism, aseity, nominalistic, metaphysic. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for philosophy

Common synonyms for philosophy include hylomorphism, hylozoism, peripateticism, nominalism, ontologism, epistemology, psychism, intuitionism — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does philosophy come from?

The word philosophy breaks down into 2 roots of Greek origin: phil-, from Greek philos (“loving”); and -soph, from Greek sophia (“wisdom”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.