Apollonian

[ap-uh-loh-nee-uhn]

adjective

1. pertaining to the cult of Apollo.

2. (lowercase),  serene, calm, or well-balanced; poised and disciplined.

3. (lowercase),  having the properties of or preferring classic beauty.

Apollonian

/ ˌæpəˈləʊnɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Apollo or the cult of Apollo

2. (sometimes not capital) (in the philosophy of Nietzsche) denoting or relating to the set of static qualities that encompass form, reason, harmony, sobriety, etc

3. (often not capital) harmonious; serene; ordered

Word History and Origins

Origin of Apollonian¹

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

Example Sentences

Merry and Pippin, declare that after reading “The Lord of the Rings” after college, “I realized that Aragorn is the Apollonian model of manhood … The Hobbits are us. And we should love life as much as they do.”

From Los Angeles Times

We grow up to discover there are names in every culture for that — yin and yang, the Apollonian and Dionysian, Vishnu and Shiva, thesis and antithesis, the law of contraries, the dialectic.

From New York Times

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

Where Michelle’s marquise is ruled by an Apollonian temperament, Vetter puts a heavy thumb on the “love” scale.

From New York Times

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