Athena

American

[uh-thee-nuh] / əˈθi nə /

noun

Also called Pallas Athena, Pallas. Also Athene the virgin deity of the ancient Greeks worshiped as the goddess of wisdom, fertility, the useful arts, and prudent warfare. At her birth she sprang forth fully armed from the head of her father, Zeus.
a first name.

Athena British

/ əˈθiːnɪ, əˈθiːnə /

noun

Also called: Pallas Athena, Pallas. Roman counterpart: Minerva. Greek myth a virgin goddess of wisdom, practical skills, and prudent warfare. She was born, fully armed, from the head of Zeus

"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

Athena Cultural

The Greek and Roman goddess of wisdom. She had an unusual birth, springing fully grown out of the forehead of her father, Zeus. Athena was one of the goddesses angered by the Judgment of Paris, a Trojan, and she therefore helped the Greeks in the ensuing Trojan War (see also Trojan War). Eventually, she became the protector of Odysseus on his journey home.

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Athena was the guardian of the city of Athens (see also Athens), which was named in her honor.

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

Minerva vs. Athena

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.

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Athena

In court filings, Athena said even her Stanford colleagues are getting emails from Al-Hussaini’s supporters making accusations against her.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

Some hashtags just don't appear on Instagram, said Athena Lamnisos, CEO of gynaecological cancer charity Eve Appeal.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

In June 2023, the couple welcomed their daughter, Athena, via surrogate.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Tom Hodge, an HSI data analyst at the meeting, proposed running the voter information through the Athena Toolbox, an analytical platform developed by the Sandia National Laboratories that had access to all of HSI’s databases.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

At sunset, Percy found Nico tying ropes around the pedestal of the Athena Parthenos.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023