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epicurean

[ep-i-kyoo-ree-uhn, -kyoor-ee-]
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adjective
  1. fond of or adapted to luxury or indulgence in sensual pleasures; having luxurious tastes or habits, especially in eating and drinking.
  2. fit for an epicure: epicurean delicacies.
  3. (initial capital letter) of, relating to, or characteristic of Epicurus or Epicureanism.
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noun
  1. an epicure.
  2. (initial capital letter) a disciple of Epicurus.
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Origin of epicurean

1350–1400; Middle English Epicurien < Latin Epicūrē(us) of Epicurus (< Greek Epikoúreios) + -an
Related formsnon·ep·i·cu·re·an, adjective, nounun·ep·i·cu·re·an, adjective

Synonyms

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2. gourmet, luxury, lavish, deluxe, rich.

Antonyms

2. austere, simple, plain, modest, frugal.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

gourmet, libertine, lush, hedonist, sensualist, connoisseur, specialist, gastronome, sybarite, critic, glutton, gourmand, epicure, gluttonous, luxurious, self-indulgent, sensual, sensuous, voluptuous, hedonistic

Examples from the Web for epicurean

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • The pheasant was exquisite, and I ate with an epicurean enjoyment.

    A Day's Ride

    Charles James Lever

  • Rabbi as thou art, thou art an Epicurean; thou sittest in the seat of the scorner.

  • It's as epicurean a distinction as any ever made by theologians.

  • When she did this it was an epicurean thing, savoury, hot, satisfying.

    Gigolo

    Edna Ferber

  • And with a stanza of Epicurean optimism from Horace the Essay closes.

British Dictionary definitions for epicurean

epicurean

adjective
  1. devoted to sensual pleasures, esp food and drink; hedonistic
  2. suitable for an epicurean epicurean feast
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noun
  1. an epicure; gourmet
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Derived Formsepicureanism, noun

Epicurean

adjective
  1. of or relating to the philosophy of Epicurus
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noun
  1. a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus
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Derived FormsEpicureanism, noun
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

Word Origin and History for epicurean

n.

late 14c., "follower of the philosophical system of Epicurus;" 1570s, "one devoted to pleasure," from Old French Epicurien, or from epicure + -ian. As an adjective, attested from 1580s in the philosophical sense and 1640s with the meaning "pleasure-loving."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper