dialectical

English

Etymology

From Latin dialecticus +‎ -al. By surface analysis, dialectic +‎ -al or dialect +‎ -ical.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

dialectical (comparative more dialectical, superlative most dialectical)

1. Of or pertaining to dialectic; (in philosophy) logically reasoned through the exchange of opposing ideas.

   Synonym: dialectic

   • 2025 July 21, Jean Garnett, “The Trouble With Wanting Men”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN, archived from the original on 21 July 2025:

     Sure, maybe. We know — have long known — that romanticism and fatalism are dialectical lovers.

2. (rare) Synonym of dialectal (“of or pertaining to a dialect”).
   • 1661, Robert Boyle, “Physiological Considerations Touching the Experiments Wont to be Employed to Evince either the IV Peripatetick Elements, or the III Chymical Principls of Mixt Bodies. Part of the First Dialogue.”, in The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-physical Doubts & Paradoxes, […], London: […] J. Cadwell for J. Crooke, […], →OCLC, pages 14–15:

     For I, and no doubt You, have long obſerved, that thoſe Dialectical ſubtleties, that the Schoolmen too often employ about Phyſiological Myſteries, are vvont much more to declare the vvit of him that uſes them, then increaſe the knovvledge or remove the doubts of ſober lovers of truth.

Derived terms

• dialectical behavioral therapy
• dialectical behavior therapy
• dialectical behavioural therapy
• dialectical behaviour therapy
• dialecticalisation
• dialecticalization
• dialectical materialism
• dialectical method
• nondialectical
• undialectical

Related terms

• dialect
• dialectic
• dialectically

Translations

of or pertaining to dialectic

• Armenian: դիալեկտիկական (hy) (dialektikakan)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 辯證的 / 辩证的 (biànzhèng de)

• Czech: dialektický
• French: dialectique (fr)
• Galician: dialéctico m
• Hindi: द्वंद्वात्मक (hi) m (dvandvātmak), द्वन्द्वात्मक (hi) m (dvandvātmak)
• Japanese: 弁証法の (べんしょうほうの, benshōhō no)
• Kazakh: диалектикалық (dialektikalyq)
• Marathi: द्वंद्वात्मक (mr) m (dvandvātmak)
• Polish: dialektyczny (pl)
• Portuguese: dialético (pt)
• Sanskrit: द्वंद्वात्मक (sa) m (dvaṃdvātmaka), द्वन्द्वात्मक (sa) m (dvandvātmaka)
• Spanish: dialéctico (es)

of or pertaining to a dialect — see dialectal