dialectic

[ dahy-uh-lek-tik ]
/ ˌdaɪ əˈlɛk tɪk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR dialectic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Also dialectical.

of, relating to, or of the nature of logical argumentation.
dialectal.

noun

Origin of dialectic

1350–1400; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin dialectica < Greek dialektikḗ ( téchnē) argumentative (art), feminine of dialektikós. See dialect, -ic

OTHER WORDS FROM dialectic

di·a·lec·ti·cal·ly, adverb non·di·a·lec·tic, adjective, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH dialectic

dialectal dialectic dialectical (see usage note at dialectal)

Words nearby dialectic

dial., dialect, dialect atlas, dialect geography, dialectal, dialectic, dialectical, dialectical materialism, dialectical theology, dialectician, dialecticism

Words related to dialectic

dialectical, argumentation, contention, discussion, deduction, ratiocination, disputation, persuasion, debate, argumentative, controversial, persuasive, analytic, polemical, rationalistic, forensic

Example sentences from the Web for dialectic

British Dictionary definitions for dialectic

dialectic
/ (ˌdaɪəˈlɛktɪk) /

noun

disputation or debate, esp intended to resolve differences between two views rather than to establish one of them as true
philosophy
  1. the conversational Socratic method of argument
  2. (in Plato) the highest study, that of the Forms
(in the writings of Kant) the exposure of the contradictions implicit in applying empirical concepts beyond the limits of experience
philosophy the process of reconciliation of contradiction either of beliefs or in historical processes See also Hegelian dialectic, dialectical materialism

adjective

of or relating to logical disputation

Derived forms of dialectic

dialectician, noun

Word Origin for dialectic

C17: from Latin dialectica, from Greek dialektikē ( tekhnē) (the art) of argument; see dialect