Dictionary.com

Apollonian

[ ap-uh-loh-nee-uhn ]
/ ˌæp əˈloʊ ni ən /
Save This Word!
adjective
pertaining to the cult of Apollo.
(lowercase) serene, calm, or well-balanced; poised and disciplined.
(lowercase) having the properties of or preferring classic beauty.Compare Dionysian (def. 2).

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
QUIZ
SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?
Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!
Question 1 of 6
Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?
shall
should
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Apollonian

1655–65; <Greek apollṓni(os) of Apollo + -an

Words nearby Apollonian

Apollinaris, Apollo, Apollo 11, Apollo asteroid, Apollo Belvedere, Apollonian, Apollonius Dyscolus, Apollonius of Perga, Apollonius of Rhodes, Apollo program, Apollyon
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Apollonian in a sentence

  • Mayburn, folding his slice of bread-and-butter, took her harshness with Apollonian serenity.

    The Shadow of Life|Anne Douglas Sedgwick

  • I am thus brought face to face with the eternal conflict in art between the Apollonian and the Dionysian principles.

    An Autobiography|Igor Stravinsky

  • The two faces of the Greek art he calls the Apollonian and the Dionysian impulses.

    Egoists|James Huneker

  • Arnobius and the fathers of the fourth century generally believed in the Apollonian thaumaturgy and attributed it to magic.

    Demonology and Devil-lore|Moncure Daniel Conway

British Dictionary definitions for Apollonian

Apollonian
/ (ˌæpəˈləʊnɪən) /
adjective
of or relating to Apollo or the cult of Apollo
(sometimes not capital) (in the philosophy of Nietzsche) denoting or relating to the set of static qualities that encompass form, reason, harmony, sobriety, etc
(often not capital) harmonious; serene; ordered
Compare Dionysian
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
FEEDBACK