Pygmalion

American  

[pig-mey-lee-uhn, -meyl-yuhn] / pɪgˈmeɪ li ən, -ˈmeɪl jən /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a sculptor and king of Cyprus who carved an ivory statue of a maiden and fell in love with it. It was brought to life, in response to his prayer, by Aphrodite.

2. (italics) a comedy (1912) by George Bernard Shaw.

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Pygmalion British  

/ pɪɡˈmeɪlɪən /

noun

1. Greek myth a king of Cyprus, who fell in love with the statue of a woman he had sculpted and which his prayers brought to life as Galatea

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Pygmalion ¹ Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, a sculptor who at first hated women but then fell in love with a statue he made of a woman. He prayed to Venus that she would find him a woman like the statue. Instead, Venus made the statue come to life.

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Pygmalion ² Cultural  

1. A play by George Bernard Shaw, about a professor, Henry Higgins, who trains a poor, uneducated girl, Eliza Doolittle, to act and speak like a lady. Shaw based his story on a tale from Greek mythology about a sculptor who carves a statue of a woman and falls in love with it (see under “Mythology and Folklore”).

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Discover More

The play Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, adapts this theme: a professor trains a girl from the gutter to speak and behave like a lady, and then he and his new creation become attached to each other. This play became the basis for the musical comedy My Fair Lady.

Example Sentences

Conductor Raphaël Pichon, leading Pygmalion, his period-instrument orchestra and chorus, padded the “Requiem” with some additional Mozart works and Gregorian chants.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

He performed the role of Eliza Doolittle from Shaw's play Pygmalion, and the part of Cesario in Twelfth Night - not realising the part was female character Viola disguised in male clothing.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

Having been friend-zoned, Penelope doesn’t try to include herself in the pool of excited maids throwing themselves at him, enlisting him to play Pygmalion and provide her charm lessons instead.

From Salon • May 17, 2024

A statuesque queen breathes life into the creation — the Henry Higgins of her own Eliza Doolittle, the Pygmalion of her Galatea.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2023

The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is an example; it has no conceivable connection with any event in nature.

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