Ontic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning the basic nature of existence and reality in philosophy
2. Relating to the actual properties of entities as opposed to abstract notions or theories about them
3. Pertaining to the fundamental characteristics of beings and the actual state of reality as opposed to speculative ideas or concepts

Etymology: "Ontic" is a plain, technical formation: Greek "ón" (genitive "óntos"), the present participle of "eimí" ("to be"), meaning "being" or "that which exists," combined with the adjectival suffix "-ic." The result describes what pertains to existence itself, as opposed to abstract or conceptual matters. The word's usefulness comes from the distinction it helps philosophers draw. Within the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, "ontic" refers to the level of particular beings and everyday facts about them, while "ontological" concerns the more fundamental question of what it means for anything to be at all. So a question about which objects exist in a room is ontic, whereas asking what existence is in the first place is ontological.

Synonyms: existential, actual

Antonyms: abstract