Metaphysics
noun /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪks/ — The philosophy of what's really real — exploring existence, consciousness, and time beyond the physical.
Definition
The branch of philosophy that deals with the fundamental nature of reality, including questions about existence, being, space, time, causality, and consciousness.
Beyond the definition
Metaphysics is where philosophy goes when the question can't be answered by any experiment. It's the attempt to think clearly about what is always already assumed — about what it means for anything to exist at all.
Origin & history
From Greek meta ta physika — after the physical (things). Aristotle's works on first principles were titled this because they came after his Physics in the catalogue. 'Beyond physics' became the name for the subject.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The question of whether consciousness survives death is metaphysics — undecidable by any current method.
She studied metaphysics not to find answers but to understand why certain questions resisted them.
Every scientific assumption rests on metaphysical foundations — you have to believe certain things before you can investigate others.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Metaphysics” when the meaning fits your context: The branch of philosophy that deals with the fundamental nature of reality, including questions about existence, being, space, time, causality, and consciousness.
Synonyms
ontology, first philosophy, philosophical inquiry
Antonyms
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Studying the solar system model
An adult at a desk looks through a telescope at a solar system mobile with planet spheres.
The study of celestial orbits and the nature of the cosmos represented by the mobile touches upon fundamental questions of existence, space, and time beyond the physical objects shown.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Metaphysics" mean?
Metaphysics is noun meaning: The philosophy of what's really real — exploring existence, consciousness, and time beyond the physical.. The branch of philosophy that deals with the fundamental nature of reality, including questions about existence, being, space, time, causality, and consciousness.
Where does the word "Metaphysics" come from?
From Greek meta ta physika — after the physical (things). Aristotle's works on first principles were titled this because they came after his Physics in the catalogue. 'Beyond physics' became the name for the subject.