Advanced · Philosophy & belief
Apophatic: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Apophatic adjective. Describing God only by what God is not, since the divine is held to be beyond any positive description.
How to say it
ap-uh-FAT-ik/ˌapəˈfatɪk/
4 syllables, stressed on the third (FAT).
Apophatic in a sentence
Apophatic writers say God is not good, not wise, not even existent, in our sense of those words.
His apophatic approach to the menu, listing everything he didn't want, baffled the waiter.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- negative
- via negativa
Opposite:
- cataphatic
Where apophatic comes from
From Greek apophatikos, negative, from apophanai, to deny.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
His _____ approach to the menu, listing everything he didn't want, baffled the waiter.
- noetic
- apophatic
- sectarian
Show the answer
apophatic: His apophatic approach to the menu, listing everything he didn't want, baffled the waiter.