Skip to content
HOW TO PRONOUNCE

philosophy

/fɪˈlɑ.sə.fi/

Press play to hear how to pronounce philosophy.

American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
Watch on YouTube ↗

What does philosophy mean?

noun

  1. 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.
  2. A view or outlook regarding fundamental principles underlying some domain.
  3. A general principle (usually moral).
More meanings (6)

noun

  1. A comprehensive system of belief.
  2. (archaic) The love of wisdom.
  3. (dated) A calm and thoughtful demeanor; calmness of temper.
  4. (dated) Synonym of small pica (especially in French printing).
  5. (archaic) A broader branch of (non-applied) science.

verb

  1. (archaic) To philosophize.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/fɪˈlɑ.sə.fi/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

While actively engaged in the House of Commons and in the courts of law, he still found leisure for letters and philosophy.
Mark TwainWhat Is Man? and Other EssaysProject Gutenberg ebook #70
Plain women he regarded as he did the other severe facts of life, to be faced with philosophy and investigated by science.
George EliotMiddlemarchProject Gutenberg ebook #145
More book examples (3)
Well, by how much do the problems of which philosophy treats surpass in the gravity of their results those discussed by geometry!
P.-J. (Pierre-Joseph) ProudhonWhat is Property? An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of GovernmentProject Gutenberg ebook #360
Early in the eighteenth century Vico presented the philosophy of history as an upward movement of man out of animalism and barbarism.
Andrew Dickson WhiteHistory of the Warfare of Science with Theology in ChristendomProject Gutenberg ebook #505
Practise this philosophy and it will be easy to keep on the sunny side of the street and to discourage the glooms.
Tingfang WuAmerica, Through the Spectacles of an Oriental DiplomatProject Gutenberg ebook #609