philosopher

noun

phi·​los·​o·​pher fə-ˈlä-s(ə-)fər How to pronounce philosopher (audio)
Synonyms of philosopher
1
a
: a person who seeks wisdom or enlightenment : scholar, thinker
b
: a student of philosophy
2
a
: a person whose philosophical perspective makes meeting trouble with equanimity easier
b
: an expounder of a theory in a particular area of experience
c
: one who philosophizes

Examples of philosopher in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In my view, an especially helpful approach to answering such questions is to revisit the towering but neglected influence of the French philosopher Montesquieu on the founding of this country. Robert A. Ballingall, The Conversation, 2 July 2026 The search for machine consciousness has gone mainstream, and companies such as Google, Meta and OpenAI are hiring philosophers to explore questions about AI welfare. Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 2 July 2026 One model surfaced the work of a 1970s American philosopher — Harry Frankfurt, whose framework distinguishes first-order desires (wanting something) from second-order desires (wanting to want something). Gabriel Alin Zainescu, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 The text is a philosophical treatise on ethics and human moral progress, and the final column revealed the name Aristocreon, a nephew and disciple of the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus. ArsTechnica, 30 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for philosopher

Word History

Etymology

Middle English philosophe, philosophre, from Anglo-French, from Latin philosophus, from Greek philosophos, from phil- + sophia wisdom, from sophos wise

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of philosopher was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Philosopher.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philosopher. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

philosopher

noun
phi·​los·​o·​pher fə-ˈläs-(ə-)fər How to pronounce philosopher (audio)
1
a
: a person who seeks wisdom or enlightenment : scholar, thinker
b
: a student of philosophy
2
: a person who is calm and patient when faced with trouble

More from Merriam-Webster on philosopher

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster