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metaphysics

noun

meta·phys·icsˌme-tə-ˈfi-ziks How to pronounce metaphysics (audio)

plural in form but singular in construction

a(1)

:a division of philosophy that is concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and being and that includesontology,cosmology, and oftenepistemology

…metaphysics … analyzes the generic traits manifested by existences of any kind …—

J. H. Randall

(2)

:ontologysense 2

:abstract philosophical studies:a study of what is outside objective experience

… steered philosophy away frommetaphysics and toward the disciplines of natural science and linguistics.—

Time

:metaphysicsense 2

Did you know?

Just asphysics deals with the laws that govern the physical world (such as those of gravity or the properties of waves), metaphysics describes what is beyond physics—the nature and origin of reality itself, the immortal soul, and the existence of a supreme being. Opinions about thesemetaphysical topics vary widely, since what's being discussed can't be observed or measured or even truly known to exist. So most metaphysical questions are still as far from a final answer as they were when Plato and Aristotle were asking them.

Examples ofmetaphysics 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.

Few intellectual shifts have reshaped Western thought as profoundly as Immanuel Kant’s break with the rationalistmetaphysics of his youth.—

Shai Tubali,Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025Jung’s fascination with synchronousmetaphysics is even more apparent in his 20-plus year correspondence with Wolfgang Pauli, a pioneer of quantum physics.—

Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025See All Example Sentences formetaphysics

Word History

Etymology

Medieval LatinMetaphysica, title of Aristotle's treatise on the subject, from Greek (ta)meta (ta)physika, literally, the (works) after the physical (works); from its position in his collected works

First Known Use

1569, in the meaning defined atsense 1a(1)

Time Traveler

The first known use ofmetaphysics was in 1569

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Rhymes formetaphysics

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Metaphysics.”Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphysics. Accessed 26 Nov. 2025.

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Kids Definition

metaphysics

noun

meta·phys·icsˌmet-ə-ˈfiz-iks How to pronounce metaphysics (audio)

:the part of philosophy concerned with the ultimate causes and basic nature of things

Etymology

from LatinMetaphysica, title given to a work by Aristotle on the subject, from Greek(ta) meta (ta) physika, literally, "the (works) after the physical (works)"; so called because this section came after the section on physics and physical nature in a collection of Aristotle's collected writings