Paley's watch

proper noun

A hypothetical pocket watch found lying on a heath, taken to be too complex to be formed by natural forces and therefore created by some entity; used in arguments for the existence of a creator God.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A hypothetical pocket watch found lying on a heath, taken to be too complex to be formed by natural forces and therefore created by some entity; used in arguments for the existence of a creator God.

Origin

Famously mentioned in a book by William Paley in 1802, though he was not the originator.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Paley's watch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paley's%20watch

MLA

“Paley's watch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paley's%20watch. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Paley's watch,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Paley's%20watch.

Source: Paley's watch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.