Meaning & use
philosopher
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Meanings
nouncountable
Someone who studies the big questions about knowledge, right and wrong, existence and how we should live.
Grammar: A person: a Greek philosopher, the philosophers.
Patterns
- a philosopher of something
- a philosopher who thinks something
Socrates is one of the most famous philosophers in history.
The philosopher asked whether we can ever really know what is true.
She trained as a philosopher before she turned to politics.
nouncountableinformal
A person with a thoughtful, calm approach to life who tends to reflect on things.
Grammar: Used loosely, often of ordinary people who accept life calmly.
Patterns
- a bit of a philosopher
My grandfather is a bit of a philosopher about money and luck.
The old fisherman was a natural philosopher who spoke slowly and thought deeply.
After the defeat, the coach took it like a philosopher.
nouncountableold-fashioned
In earlier centuries, a scholar who investigated natural science, such as physics or chemistry.
Grammar: Old use, found in the phrase 'natural philosopher'.
Patterns
- a natural philosopher
Isaac Newton was called a natural philosopher in his own time.
The philosophers of that century tested ideas with experiments.
Early philosophers of nature studied the movement of the planets.
Word forms
| plural | philosophers |
|---|
Common combinations
- Greek philosopher
- Aristotle was a Greek philosopher whose ideas shaped Western thought.
- moral philosopher
- The moral philosopher argued about what we owe to strangers.
- political philosopher
- A political philosopher wrote about the nature of power.
- great philosopher
- Many people admire him as a great philosopher.
- amateur philosopher
- Over coffee, the amateur philosopher shared his thoughts on fate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- thinker
- Thinker is a wider and more casual word for anyone who reasons deeply, while philosopher refers to someone engaged in a formal tradition of inquiry.
- sage
- Sage suggests wisdom gained from age and experience, rather than study of philosophy as a subject.
- scholar
- A scholar can be an expert in any academic subject, whereas a philosopher focuses on fundamental questions.
- theorist
- A theorist builds explanations in a specific field, while a philosopher asks broader questions about the foundations of ideas.
Word family
- philosophy noun
- the study of basic questions about knowledge and life
- philosophical adjective
- relating to philosophy, or calm about misfortune
- philosophize verb
- to think or talk about deep questions
- philosophically adverb
- in a philosophical way, or in a calm, accepting way
Commonly confused: philosopher or physicist?
philosopher vs physicist
A physicist studies matter and energy through science, whereas a philosopher uses reasoning to explore questions that experiments cannot settle.
Practice
Which statement about a philosopher is most accurate?
Choose one answer.
Philosophers examine fundamental questions such as what we can know and how we should act. The other options describe doctors, architects and economists.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “philosopher”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.