Definitions for Philosophy
fɪˈlɒs ə fiPhi·los·o·phy

Princeton's WordNet(3.42 / 22 votes)Rate this definition:

1. doctrine, philosophy, philosophical system, school of thought, ismnoun

   a belief (or system of beliefs) accepted as authoritative by some group or school

2. philosophynoun

   the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics

3. philosophynoun

   any personal belief about how to live or how to deal with a situation

   "self-indulgence was his only philosophy"; "my father's philosophy of child-rearing was to let mother do it"

Wiktionary(3.14 / 15 votes)Rate this definition:

1. philosophynoun

   (originally) The love of wisdom

2. philosophynoun

   An academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than empiricism

3. philosophynoun

   A comprehensive system of belief.

4. philosophynoun

   A view or outlook regarding fundamental principles underlying some domain.

5. philosophynoun

   A general principle (usually moral).

6. philosophynoun

   A broader branch of (non-applied) science

7. philosophyverb

   To philosophize.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Philosophynoun

   literally, the love of, including the search after, wisdom; in actual usage, the knowledge of phenomena as explained by, and resolved into, causes and reasons, powers and laws

   Etymology: [OE. philosophie, F. philosophie, L. philosophia, from Gr. filosofi`a. See Philosopher.]

2. Philosophynoun

   a particular philosophical system or theory; the hypothesis by which particular phenomena are explained

   Etymology: [OE. philosophie, F. philosophie, L. philosophia, from Gr. filosofi`a. See Philosopher.]

3. Philosophynoun

   practical wisdom; calmness of temper and judgment; equanimity; fortitude; stoicism; as, to meet misfortune with philosophy

   Etymology: [OE. philosophie, F. philosophie, L. philosophia, from Gr. filosofi`a. See Philosopher.]

4. Philosophynoun

   reasoning; argumentation

   Etymology: [OE. philosophie, F. philosophie, L. philosophia, from Gr. filosofi`a. See Philosopher.]

5. Philosophynoun

   the course of sciences read in the schools

   Etymology: [OE. philosophie, F. philosophie, L. philosophia, from Gr. filosofi`a. See Philosopher.]

6. Philosophynoun

   a treatise on philosophy

   Etymology: [OE. philosophie, F. philosophie, L. philosophia, from Gr. filosofi`a. See Philosopher.]

Freebase(5.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Philosophy

   Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. In more casual speech, by extension, "philosophy" can refer to "the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group". The word "philosophy" comes from the Ancient Greek φιλοσοφία, which literally means "love of wisdom". The introduction of the terms "philosopher" and "philosophy" has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras. A "philosopher" was understood as a word which contrasted with "sophist". Traveling sophists or "wise men" were important in Classical Greece, often earning money as teachers, whereas philosophers are "lovers of wisdom" and were therefore not in it primarily for the money.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia(4.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Philosophy

   the science of sciences or of things in general, properly an attempt to find the absolute in the contingent, the immutable in the mutable, the universal in the particular, the eternal in the temporal, the real in the phenomenal, the ideal in the real, or in other words, to discover "the single principle that," as Dr. Stirling says, "possesses within itself the capability of transition into all existent variety and varieties," which it presupposes can be done not by induction from the transient, but by deduction from the permanent as that spiritually reveals itself in the creating mind, so that a Philosopher is a man who has, as Carlyle says, quoting Goethe, "stationed himself in the middle (between the outer and the inner, the upper and the lower), to whom the Highest has descended and the Lowest mounted up, who is the equal and kindly brother of all." "Philosophy dwells aloft in the Temple of Science, the divinity of the inmost shrine; her dictates descend among men, but she herself descends not; whoso would behold her must climb with long and laborious effort; may still linger in the forecourt till manifold trial have proved him worthy of admission into the interior solemnities." Indeed philosophy is more than science (q. v.); it is a divine wisdom instilled into and inspiring a thinker's life. See Thinker, The.

The Roycroft Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. philosophy

   Our highest conception of life, its duties and its destinies.

U.S. National Library of Medicine(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Philosophy

   A love or pursuit of wisdom. A search for the underlying causes and principles of reality. (Webster, 3d ed)

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. PHILOSOPHY

   Something that enables the rich to say there is no disgrace in being poor.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. philosophy

   Is the science and study of creation, language, thought, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, soul, spiritual being, ethics, wisdom and metaphysics.

   Philosophy is amazing to study and with the internet it has speed up our knowledge and information to contribute to the evolution of humanity

   Submitted by MaryC on March 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Belief
   • Humanistic Discipline

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Philosophy' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2887

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Philosophy' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3792

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Philosophy' in Nouns Frequency: #1183

How to pronounce Philosophy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Philosophy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Philosophy in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Philosophy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Philosophy in a Sentence

1. Asmat Malik:

   Electables are totally against our philosophy. The party was established on the idea of meritocracy and justice. This will ruin it.

2. Henry St. John Bolingbroke:

   History is philosophy teaching by examples.

3. Cometan:

   There shall be no narrowness in Him or in The Philosophy.

4. Susan Collins:

   I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade because that would mean to me that their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law.

5. Erik Pevernagie:

   Life is a mysterious adventure full of unexpected happenings and captivating episodes with intriguing revelations. We just have to squeeze it gently and enjoy each drop. That is philosophy. (( "Waiting for the pieces to fall into place" )

Popularity rank by frequency of use