Philosopause
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The informally observed tendency of mature or elderly scientists, who apparently have outlived their most productive years of research and similar practical work, to discontinue or decrease their participation in such activity, in favour of pursuing, and often publishing, philosophical theories or speculations. Commonly the implication is that such works are beyond the authors' recognised field of competence, and, as a result, typically of disappointing value or standard. uncountable
"Too many of the characters here have entered the phase of their career that has been called "the philosopause." They have retired from the university or grown bored with lab work, and so have taken up professional cogitation."
Example
More examples"Too many of the characters here have entered the phase of their career that has been called "the philosopause." They have retired from the university or grown bored with lab work, and so have taken up professional cogitation."
Etymology
Blend of philosophy + menopause from Ancient Greek παῦσις (paûsis, “discontinuance”)
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.