Orestes

American  

[aw-res-teez, oh-res‑] / ɔˈrɛs tiz, oʊˈrɛs‑ /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and the brother of Electra and Iphigenia: he avenged the murder of Agamemnon by killing Clytemenestra and her lover, Aegisthus, then was pursued by the Furies until saved by Athena.

2. (italics) a tragedy (408 b.c.) by Euripides.

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Orestes British  

/ ɒˈrɛstiːz /

noun

1. Greek myth the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother and her lover Aegisthus in revenge for their murder of his father

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Orestes Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, and brother of Electra. Agamemnon was killed by Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus. To avenge the murder, Orestes and Electra killed them both.

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Example Sentences

Migrant life is hard, said Orestes Gómez, a Venezeulan-born percussionist who tours with Rawayana.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2025

But whereas “Hamlet” centers the title character, this re-centered “Oresteia” is concerned principally not with Orestes, the son, but rather with Klytemnestra, his haunted mother.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2022

You may hear, in the trial of Electra and Orestes by a jury of ordinary Athenians, an argument against capital punishment that sounds as if the words spewed from an op-ed columnist’s laptop.

From Washington Post • May 7, 2019

“No one is going to be left without seeds to plant again and recover losses,” said Salvadoran Agriculture Minister Orestes Ortez.

From Reuters • Jul. 26, 2018

She hurried away and Pylades turned to Orestes.

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