What does “philosophical” mean?
- 1
adjectiverelating to the study of the nature of life, truth and knowledge
They had a long philosophical discussion about free will.
- 2
adjectivestaying calm when something bad happens
He was philosophical about losing the job.
Philosophical at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- B2 (upper intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /ˌfɪləˈsɑfɪkəl/ · fil-uh-SOF-ih-kul
How to use “philosophical” correctly
The “calm acceptance” sense usually takes “about”: be philosophical about a setback.
Common phrases with “philosophical”
- philosophical about
- philosophical question
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Word family
- philosophy
- philosopher
- philosophically
“philosophical” is on these word lists
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