Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
alethic

alethic

9.9
Relating to the idea of truth in philosophy and logic
  • adjective
  • /əˈlɛθɪk/
  • Formal
translation icon : alético
  • In philosophy, the study of alethic modalities helps us understand the nature of truth.

Examples

  • Dolezel distinguishes four types of global modal restrictions: alethic, deontic, axiologic, and epistemic.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The original interpretation, called the alethic system, involves the concepts of necessity, possibility, and impossibility.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The alethic framework analyzes statements based on their truth conditions in logical discourse.

  • Philosophers often debate alethic concepts to explore the foundations of logical reasoning.

Compounds

alethic logic
  • Formal
9.9

The study of what must be true or may be true

Surface Forms

alethic positive

Morphology

alethic = aleth + ic

The root 'aleth-' is a learned Greek combining form (not a standalone English word), so although '-ic' is a productive adjective suffix, the base is obscure and the meaning is not predictable to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Alethic comes from the Greek word aletheia, which means 'truth'. So, when philosophers use alethic to describe a view or a question, they mean it is directly about 'truth' or about what is true.