Apollonian

American  

[ap-uh-loh-nee-uhn] / ˌæp əˈloʊ ni ən /

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.

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Apollonian British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of Apollonian

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

Compare meaning

How does apollonian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Apollonian vs. Dionysian

Example Sentences

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 • Feb. 12, 2024

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 • Jul. 19, 2023

Back then, it seemed a portrait of the storied partnership between Osipova and David Hallberg: the Apollonian American barely keeping up with the impulsive Russian, catching her when she leaped.

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2023

But this poem is more of that sort of Apollonian bridling of those impulses right.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 17, 2018

I’d been born Apollonian, a sun- kissed girl with a face ringed with curls.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides