teleology

noun

tel·​e·​ol·​o·​gy ˌtē-lē-ˈä-lə-jē How to pronounce teleology (audio) ˌte- How to pronounce teleology (audio)
1
a
: the study of evidences of design in nature
b
: a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature
c
: a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes
2
: the fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose
3
: the use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomena
teleologist
ˌtē-lē-ˈä-lə-jist How to pronounce teleology (audio) ˌte- How to pronounce teleology (audio)
noun

Examples of teleology 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.
Applying pressure to soft, secret places, the critic exposed fake oppositions, crude essentialisms, bourgeois hegemonies, totalizing mechanisms, humanist teleologies, squalid repressions, influential aporias, and many more textual fragilities. — Emily Eakin, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025 There was a sense that transformation was the point and the teleology; Sophie’s sonic plasticity pointed to interrelational reinvention, toward a truth that had to be formed in the primordial tide pool of a dark, pulsing room. — Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin teleologia, from Greek tele-, telos end, purpose + -logia -logy — more at wheel

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of teleology was in 1742

Rhymes for teleology

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teleology
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Cite this Entry

“Teleology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/teleology. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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Medical Definition

teleology

noun
te·​le·​ol·​o·​gy ˌtel-ē-ˈäl-ə-jē How to pronounce teleology (audio) ˌtēl- How to pronounce teleology (audio)
plural teleologies
1
a
: the study of evidences of design in nature
b
: a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature
c
: a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes
2
: the fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose
3
: the use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomena

More from Merriam-Webster on teleology

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about teleology

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