- Today's Word
Solipsistic
so-lip-SIS-tik
Definition
- (adjective) Excessively self-centered or focused on oneself, often to the exclusion of external realities.
Example
His solipsistic worldview made it difficult for him to empathize with others’ struggles.
Fun Fact
“Solipsistic” originates from the Latin solus (“alone”) and ipse (“self”), forming the philosophy of solipsism, which argues that only one’s mind is certain to exist. While the term often has a negative connotation today, it reflects a deeper philosophical question about the nature of reality and perception.
(noun) A profound transformation of mind and character; a fundamental change in one’s values, outlook, or way of life.
The diagnosis wasn’t a death sentence — for her it was a metanoia, a complete reorientation of everything she had previously decided mattered.
Metanoia derives from the Greek metanoia, meaning “change of mind,” built from meta- (“beyond” or “after”) and nous (“mind”). In classical Greek philosophy it described a shift in perspective so fundamental it altered the entire orientation of a person’s thinking. In early Christian theology it acquired the specific meaning of repentance — not merely feeling sorry but undergoing a complete transformation of character. Both meanings persist in modern usage, the secular and the spiritual versions of the word describing the same essential experience from different angles.