Orpheus

American  

[awr-fee-uhs, -fyoos] / ˈɔr fi əs, -fjus /

noun

1. Greek Legend. a poet and musician, a son of Calliope, who followed his dead wife, Eurydice, to the underworld. By charming Hades, he obtained permission to lead her away, provided he did not look back at her until they returned to earth. But at the last moment he looked, and she was lost to him forever.

2. (italics) a ballet (1947) with music by Stravinsky and choreography by Balanchine.

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Orpheus British  

/ ˈɔːfɪəs, -fjuːs /

noun

1. Greek myth a poet and lyre-player credited with the authorship of the poems forming the basis of Orphism. He married Eurydice and sought her in Hades after her death. He failed to win her back and was killed by a band of bacchantes

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Other Word Forms

• Orphean
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Orpheus

He finds himself roaming the city as a kind of Orpheus, looking back without knowing what to look for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

His farm in a meadow close by the village of Sofiytsi in southern Bulgaria backs onto the wooded slopes of the mountain range associated with the mythological musician Orpheus.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

And in “The Matrix Resurrections,” the 2021 chapter of “The Matrix” franchise, Abdul-Mateen played Orpheus, a character previously portrayed by Laurence Fishburne.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026

She is currently starring in the West End production of hit musical Hadestown, which tells a version of ancient Greek myth Orpheus, and is due to end her run as goddess Persephone in January.

From BBC ● Dec. 26, 2025

The hitch was that Orpheus was forbidden from looking backward until he was clear of the dread god’s domain.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson