metaphysically

Metaphysically is an adverb used to indicate that something relates to metaphysics or is true in a metaphysical sense—beyond or beneath the physical world. The term is formed from metaphysical + -ly. Metaphysical derives from Greek meta- "beyond" and physikos "of nature," and the phrase metaphysics originally referred to "the things after (or beyond) the physics" in Aristotle's categorization; in Latin it became metaphysica and in English metaphysical.

In philosophy, metaphysical concerns include questions about the nature of reality, existence, causation, identity, time, space, mind, and universals; statements about these topics may be described as metaphysical or non-empirical. The term helps distinguish explanations that appeal to fundamental structures of being from those grounded in sensory experience or natural science; modality (possibility and necessity) is often treated within metaphysical frameworks.

In everyday usage, metaphysically can be used loosely to indicate a non-physical or abstract dimension, or to describe statements as speculative or spiritual rather than empirical. Critics sometimes caution that metaphysical claims are hard to test, may rely on a priori reasoning, and can be ambiguous outside scholarly contexts.

Related terms include metaphysical, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, and cosmology.