Athena

American

[uh-thee-nuh] / əˈθi nə /

noun

Also called Pallas Athena. Also called 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.

Intuitive Machines first made headlines sending two lunar landers to the moon, Odysseus and Athena.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Holland's partner in real life, Zendaya, plays the goddess Athena in the mythological movie, which also features Himesh Patel as Eurylochus, Mia Goth as Melantho and Jimmy Gonzales as Cepheus.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

Athena ended up in a frigid crater and tipped over, leaving its solar batteries unable to charge.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

“We’re looking to pivot out of this,” Joel Harber, CEO of Athena Studios said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026

Because of the wicked way they had treated Cassandra, Athena had been angry at all the Greeks indiscriminately, but before that, during the Trojan War, she had especially favored Odysseus.

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

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