: one of the deistic or materialistic writers and thinkers of the 18th century French Enlightenment
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebLeading the opposition was Diderot, the Enlightenment philosophe. Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2022 With some exceptions, the typical Enlightenment philosophe was an intellectual generalist, more a social or political critic than anything else. Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2021 The philosophe wondered what was left to unbelievers in the way of ethical guidelines. Dan Hofstadter, WSJ, 15 Feb. 2019 In 18th-century France there were the philosophes, among them D’Alembert, Diderot, Voltaire, Helvétius. Joseph Epstein, WSJ, 22 Mar. 2019 Some of the French philosophes explicitly attributed human happiness to earthly possessions, material pleasure and successful social striving. Jeffrey Collins, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2018 If d’Herbelot was both respectful and systematic in his treatment of the Islamic world, Enlightenment philosophes were less so. Jacob Soll, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2018 See More
Word History
Etymology
French, literally, philosopher
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above