Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Actaeon

American  
[ak-tee-uhn] / ækˈti ən /

noun

Classical Mythology.
  1. a hunter who, for having seen Diana bathing, was changed by her into a stag and was torn to pieces by his own hounds.


Actaeon British  
/ ˈæktɪən, ækˈtiːən /

noun

  1. Greek myth a hunter of Boeotia who, having accidentally seen Artemis bathing, was turned into a stag and torn apart by his own hounds

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

The painting in question, entitled Diana and Actaeon, dates from the Renaissance era and portrays a mythical scene from the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses.

From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2023

In the past, he was identified as Meleager or Actaeon, mythological huntsmen.

From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2016

In the Greek myth of Diana and Actaeon, the mortal hunter comes across the immortal goddess of the hunt as she bathes.

From The New Yorker ● May 16, 2015

Wallinger's installation takes as its defining image the moment, thrillingly described by Ovid and dramatically depicted in Titian's Diana and Actaeon, when the hunter Actaeon accidentally stumbles upon the chaste goddess Diana by her bath.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 9, 2012

Spying on Diana from the bushes was the hunter Actaeon, unaware of the grim fate awaiting him.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training