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Glite Dictionary
sapiential

sapiential

9.9
Showing deep wisdom about life or spiritual matters
  • adjective
  • /sæˈpɛnʃəl/
  • Formal
translation icon : sapiencial
  • In an age that has reacted very negatively against what it regards as the hyperrationality of neo-Scholastic discourse, it is not unusual to hear the exhortation that theology must be sapiential, that it must be oriented toward wisdom.
  • sapiential model
  • sapiential theology
  • sapiential books

Examples

  • The third is Sophia, the pervasive spirit of divine wisdom that permeates and impels creation toward fullness of life, based on the sapiential tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures.

    Academic text (2006)

  • A great deal of the fatherly advice concerns women, and this concern extends through the sapiential books.

    Academic text (2004)

  • But what is sapiential theology?

    Academic text (2008)

  • The Sapiential Model in the Old Testament

    Academic text (2005)

  • We touch here on the difference between scientific theology and sapiential theology.

    Academic text (2008)

  • As the distillation of generations of learned scribes, the Book of Proverbs is an excellent source for the sapiential tradition in the Old Testament.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, Islam has stressed sapiential doctrines.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The sapiential model emphasizes divine self-revelation as a salvific category: God makes his ways known to humanity, and the reception and enactment of this knowledge is salvation.

    Academic text (2005)

  • In the "sapiential" model, sin is willful ignorance and salvation illumination; it is found in Proverbs and John, and echoed in Augustine's soteriology.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Many philosophers emphasize the importance of sapiential insights in understanding the nature of existence.

Synonyms

wise
vssapiential
758 2.1

Showing good judgment from experience

suggests deeper, often sacred wisdom rather than ordinary practical judgment
Solomonic
vssapiential
  • Formal
1 9.9

Showing great wisdom and fairness when making a difficult decision

is more about deep or divine wisdom than about deciding fairly
sage
vssapiential
1 7.4

Showing deep wisdom often from age and experience

emphasizes sacred or profound wisdom rather than age based knowledge
sophic
vssapiential
  • Archaic
9.9

Having wisdom or knowledge, often in old writing

focuses on sacred or very deep wisdom rather than old literary tone

Antonyms

foolish
505 1.3

Not showing good sense and making unwise choices

ignorant
367 3.7

Not knowing about something or how it works

Compounds

sapiential book
  • Literature
9.9

Books in the Bible like Proverbs or Ecclesiastes that teach about wisdom and how to live

Surface Forms

sapiential positive

Morphology

sapiential = sapient (semi-transparent) = sapient + ial

Formed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ial' to 'sapient', yielding 'relating to wisdom'; the morphological relation is regular but both elements are relatively rare and Latinate, so learners may not recognize them easily.

Etymology

Sapiential comes from the Latin root sapere, which meant 'to taste' and 'to be wise', and it is the same root as the English word sage, a wise person. So, sapiential means 'relating to wisdom' or to things that show deep, careful knowledge.