Apollonian

[ ap-uh-loh-nee-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

pertaining to the cult of Apollo.
(lowercase) serene, calm, or well-balanced; poised and disciplined.
(lowercase) having the properties of or preferring classic beauty. Compare Dionysian ( def 2 ).

Apollonian

/ ˌæpəˈləʊnɪən /

of or relating to Apollo or the cult of Apollo
sometimes not capital (in the philosophy of Nietzsche) denoting or relating to the set of static qualities that encompass form, reason, harmony, sobriety, etc
often not capital harmonious; serene; ordered

1655–65; < Greek apollṓni ( os ) of Apollo + -an

How does Apollonian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

Mayburn, folding his slice of bread-and-butter, took her harshness with Apollonian serenity.

I am thus brought face to face with the eternal conflict in art between the Apollonian and the Dionysian principles.

The two faces of the Greek art he calls the Apollonian and the Dionysian impulses.

Arnobius and the fathers of the fourth century generally believed in the Apollonian thaumaturgy and attributed it to magic.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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