Pericles

American  

[per-i-kleez] / ˈpɛr ɪˌkliz /

noun

1. c495–429 b.c., Athenian statesman.

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Pericles British  

/ ˈpɛrɪˌkliːz /

noun

1. ?495–429 _bc , Athenian statesman and leader of the popular party, who contributed greatly to Athens' political and cultural supremacy in Greece. In power from about 460 _bc , he was responsible for the construction of the Parthenon. He conducted the Peloponnesian War (431–404 _bc ) successfully until his death

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Pericles Cultural  

1. A statesman of ancient Greece, who tried to unite the country under the leadership of his own city, Athens (see also Athens). Pericles also promoted democracy within Athens. His rule is sometimes known as the Golden Age of Greece. Many magnificent buildings, including the Parthenon, were built under his administration. He led the Athenians at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War but died soon afterward.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pericles

Johnson’s Marina performs with lovely gravitas, as do Javier’s Thaisa and Thompson’s Pericles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Certainly from the Classical Period — that is, roughly the time of Pericles and Socrates — Greeks understood the Homeric poems as their founding myths.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

“I’m more afraid of our own mistakes than I am of the enemy’s plans,” Pericles tells the Athenian assembly as he makes the case for war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Only a month ago, President McInnis and Dean Pericles Lewis speculated, half-jokingly during parents weekend, that Yale has been spared only because “Y” came at the end of the alphabet.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

Anaxagoras was brought to Athens by Pericles, its leader in its time of greatest glory, but also the man whose actions led to the Peloponnesian War, which destroyed Athenian democracy.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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