metaphysic

noun
meta·​phys·​ic | \ ˌme-tə-ˈfi-zik How to pronounce metaphysic (audio) \

Definition of metaphysic

b : a particular system of metaphysics
2 : the system of principles underlying a particular study or subject : philosophy sense 3b

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Other Words from metaphysic

metaphysic adjective

Examples of metaphysic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The series, which features recurring characters as well as stand-alone stories, plays fast and loose with metaphysics, laws of time and space, and conventional storytelling formats. Christopher Arnott, courant.com, "Here’s how the weird fictional podcast ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ will come to life at College Street Music Hall," 30 Aug. 2019 In a careful and persuasive reply to Deneen in the Catholic Social Science Review, Paul R. DeHart points out that both Locke and the Founders rejected Hobbes’s theory of unbounded sovereignty and his underlying metaphysics. Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review, "The Right Liberalism," 11 July 2019 This argument marks a remarkable slide from history into organicist metaphysics. Adam Tooze, The New York Review of Books, "Democracy and Its Discontents," 6 June 2019 The trouble with that is that there are parts of the metaphysics of QBism that even de Finetti wouldn’t accept! Quanta Magazine, "A Private View of Quantum Reality," 4 June 2015 And without referencing metaphysics, consciousness, or anything even remotely MAGA—in fact, the message was very sweet. Vogue, "Does Kanye West's Apology For Texting During The Cher Show Mean He's Turning Over a New Leaf?," 4 Dec. 2018 Or it has been cast as a tragedy, in which the sudden death of his beloved wife, Anna, triggered in him a lifelong hatred of metaphysics and the wish to create his own ersatz-religion. Christoph Irmscher, WSJ, "‘The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel’ Review: The Zoologist as Artist," 13 Apr. 2018 Though physics, philosophy and metaphysics have all grappled with the concept of time, we are still confounded by it. Priyamvada Natarajan, WSJ, "‘The Order of Time’ Review: Stop All the Clocks," 1 June 2018 Last year's The Rise and Fall of the D.O.D.O., co-written with Nicole Gilland, told the tale of a surreal above-top-secret DARPA-like organization dabbling in metaphysics and magic. John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, "How Neal Stephenson Got Book Ideas by Moonlighting at Blue Origin," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'metaphysic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of metaphysic

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

History and Etymology for metaphysic

Middle English metaphesyk, from Medieval Latin metaphysica

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