WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
on•tol•o•gy /ɑnˈtɑlədʒi/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- the branch of metaphysics that studies the question of what it means to exist.
on•tol•o•gy
(on tol′ə jē),USA pronunciation n.
on•to•log•i•cal
(on′tl oj′i kəl),USA pronunciation on′to•log′ic, on•tol•o•gis•tic
(on tol′ə jis′tik),USA pronunciation adj.
on•tol′o•gist, n.
- Philosophythe branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such.
- Philosophy(loosely) metaphysics.
- Neo-Latin ontologia. See onto-, -logy
- 1715–25;
'ontological' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):