Athenian
Americanadjective
noun
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Athenian
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin Athēni(ēnsis) “of Athens” + -an; see -ensis
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.
The Athenian navy, over which Themistocles held sway, had its own democratic turn.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026
Instead, it closely matches Phrygians, a lesser known tragedy written by the Athenian playwright Aeschylus.
From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2026
The warship's welcoming ceremony outside the naval base of Salamis included a copy of an ancient Athenian trireme and the Georgios Averof, a historic cruiser that fought in the Balkan Wars.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
The frigate Kimon is named after a 5th century BCE Athenian admiral, who was the son of the victorious general at the Battle of Marathon, Miltiadis.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
He was young—perhaps from twenty-eight to thirty—tall, slender; his face riveted the eye; it was like a Greek face, very pure in outline: quite a straight, classic nose; quite an Athenian mouth and chin.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
