Platonic
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or his doctrines.
the Platonic philosophy of ideal forms.
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relating to, involving, or characterized by Platonic love as a striving toward love of spiritual or ideal beauty.
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Usually platonic
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being, relating to, or involving the kind of love that characterizes a friendship; free of sexual desire or romantic overtones.
Despite their close bond and emotional connection, their relationship remained purely platonic.
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feeling or professing love of this kind.
He insisted that he was completely platonic in his admiration.
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adjective
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of or relating to Plato or his teachings
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(often not capital) free from physical desire
Platonic love
Usage
What else does platonic mean? Platonic characterizes a close but non-sexual relationship between people. It’s especially used in reference to two people of opposite sexes who have a strong, deep friendship.
Other Word Forms
- Platonically adverb
- anti-Platonic adjective
- post-Platonic adjective
- pro-Platonic adjective
Etymology
Origin of Platonic
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin Platōnicus, from Greek Platōnikós, equivalent to Platōn-, stem of Plátōn Plato + -ikos, -ic
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.
If the underlying rules of the Platonic realm seem similar to those governing a computer simulation, could that realm itself be simulated?
From Science Daily • Nov. 10, 2025
“It was a great wave, and it crashed,” Mr Fortin said after a day flying his drones on the AppleTV+ show Platonic - his first gig with drones since April.
From BBC • Sep. 28, 2024
The Apple Pan, a small restaurant in Los Angeles where just about everything is as it was 76 years ago, is the Platonic ideal of a no-frills 1940s diner.
From New York Times • Aug. 4, 2023
Tell me what drew you to "Platonic," and how you and Seth Rogen got to reunite for it.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2023
Experimentation thus required a deeply problematic balancing act between Platonic idealism and a crude empiricism.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
