Adonis

American  

[uh-don-is, uh-doh-nis] / əˈdɒn ɪs, əˈdoʊ nɪs /

noun

• Adonises
  plural

1. Classical Mythology. a youth slain by a wild boar but permitted by Zeus to pass four months every year in the lower world with Persephone, four with Aphrodite, and four wherever he chose.

2. a very handsome young man.

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Adonis British  

/ əˈdəʊnɪs /

noun

1. Greek myth a handsome youth loved by Aphrodite. Killed by a wild boar, he was believed to spend part of the year in the underworld and part on earth, symbolizing the vegetative cycle

2. a handsome young man

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Adonis Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, an extremely beautiful boy who was loved by Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

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Discover More

By extension, an “Adonis” is any handsome young man.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Adonises
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of Adonis

1615–25 Adonis for def. 2

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Explanation

An adonis is a very handsome man, especially a young one. You might secretly think of your good-looking neighbor as "a young adonis." You'll most commonly see this word capitalized: Adonis, though if you're using it to mean "handsome guy," it's okay to use a lower-case a. Its origin is the god Adonis, in Greek mythology the eternally youthful god of beauty and desire. When you call someone an adonis, there's an implication that he's a bit vain about his good looks: "He knows he's the adonis of the family."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Adonis Adonises

Is historic male dominance in sports teetering like a marble Adonis on a wobbly pedestal?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Although he is relieved they will avoid what he called "exorbitant" ticket prices, Adonis believes a country that doesn't want to welcome supporters from qualifying teams shouldn't be allowed to host the World Cup.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

Until the 1990s, that is, when relentless tabloid coverage reinvented him as New York City’s Adonis.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026

Stratford-upon-Avon born playwright Shakespeare dedicated Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece to Wriothesley, who some think was the "fair youth" to whom many of Shakespeare's sonnets are addressed.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2025

She kissed him, but Adonis knew not that she kissed him as he died.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

The matchbooks on display at the library, nostalgic artifacts adorned with images of muscled Adonises and punning slogans, were everyday objects — used and discarded — at the time they were made.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2019

A stark difference between me and the zero-body-fat Adonises.

From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2016

When a trend is embraced by both the baby-oiled Adonises of luxury fashion and the ruling-class matrons of the Old World, you know somebody’s doing something wrong.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2010

In this alternate universe, the gods are bronzed-faced Adonises and everyone bleeds yellow and green.

From Washington Post

He was a high-spirited and accomplished young man, had served with distinction, was a devoted admirer of the ladies, and one of those military Adonises who are born to conquest.

From The Three Brides, Love in a Cottage, and Other Tales by Francis A. (Francis Alexander) Durivage

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