trolleyology
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
An area of philosophy dealing with the kind of moral dilemma typified by the trolley problem of whether to sacrifice one person to save others.
Register: humorous, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
Trolleyology . . . by now the philosophical commentary on these cases makes the Talmud look like Cliffs Notes, and is surely massive enough to stop any runaway trolley in its tracks.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “trolleyology” mean?
An area of philosophy dealing with the kind of moral dilemma typified by the trolley problem of whether to sacrifice one person to save others.
Is “trolleyology” formal or informal?
trolleyology is generally humorous, slang.