Dionysian
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or honoring Dionysus or Bacchus.
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recklessly uninhibited; unrestrained; undisciplined; frenzied; orgiastic.
adjective
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of or relating to Dionysus
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(sometimes not capital) (in the philosophy of Nietzsche) of or relating to the set of creative qualities that encompasses spontaneity, irrationality, the rejection of discipline, etc
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(often not capital) wild or orgiastic
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of or relating to any of the historical characters named Dionysius
Etymology
Origin of Dionysian
First recorded in 1600–10; Dionys(us) + -ian
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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.
“He was a pillar of the scene here, a beloved and trusted counselor to fellow artists, an amiably enlightening interlocutor with critics and an impish presence who embodied theater’s Dionysian spirit.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2023
While some view calling one's behavior "Dionysian" as an insult, conflating sensuality with lecherousness or debauchery, this holiday season, I mean it to say, "Don't choose famine when you have the opportunity to feast."
From Salon • Dec. 15, 2022
Before her breakthrough as a recording artist and ’70s punk priestess, Patti Smith contributed modern poetic essays on Dylan, Jagger, Morrison and other Dionysian rock gods.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2022
Even the makers of supercars like Ferrari and McLaren have embraced plug-in hybrids as a way to squeeze the last Dionysian drops from internal-combustion engines.
From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2022
People who don’t climb mountains—the great majority of humankind, that is to say—tend to assume that the sport is a reckless, Dionysian pursuit of ever escalating thrills.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
