Apollonian
Americanadjective
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pertaining to the cult of Apollo.
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(lowercase) serene, calm, or well-balanced; poised and disciplined.
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(lowercase) having the properties of or preferring classic beauty.
adjective
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of or relating to Apollo or the cult of Apollo
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(sometimes not capital) (in the philosophy of Nietzsche) denoting or relating to the set of static qualities that encompass form, reason, harmony, sobriety, etc
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(often not capital) harmonious; serene; ordered
Etymology
Origin of Apollonian
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But Kennedy is also embarrassing himself by putting out photo and video content meant to prove that he, at age 69, is some kind of Apollonian model of physical perfection.
From Salon • Jul. 19, 2023
Their presence dramatizes the twin energies upon which all creation, in art and life, relies — the Apollonian and Dionysian, yin and yang, form and essence, thesis and antithesis.
From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2023
Field, returning to directing after a long absence, balances Apollonian restraint with Dionysian frenzy.
From New York Times • Sep. 5, 2022
He hoped that the “Ring” would revive the cultural paradise of ancient Greece, fusing Apollonian beauty and Dionysian savagery.
From The New Yorker • Oct. 7, 2019
I’d been born Apollonian, a sun- kissed girl with a face ringed with curls.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
