Orphic

[ awr-fik ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Orpheus.
2. resembling the music attributed to Orpheus; entrancing.
3. pertaining to a religious or philosophical school maintaining a form of the cult of Dionysus, or Bacchus, ascribed to Orpheus as founder:

   Orphic mysteries.

4. (often lowercase) mystic; oracular.

Orphic

/ ˈɔːfɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to Orpheus or Orphism
2. sometimes not capital mystical or occult

Derived Forms

• ˈOrphically, adverb

Other Words From

• Orphi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of Orphic¹

1670–80; < Greek Orphikós (cognate with Latin Orphicus ), equivalent to Orph ( eús ) Orpheus + -ikos -ic

Example Sentences

And it’s a clumsy one, attempting in the third act to weave aria pauses into a breakneck pace and an abrupt, Orphic turn.

From New York Times

But the most important thing — an Orphic struggle if ever there was one — was not to look back.

From Washington Post

He knew he wanted to expand on his Orpheus-theme cantata, “The Orphic Moment.”

From New York Times

It’s his own school that is in session — a one-way, Orphic descent into hell, with the violence manifest instead of latent, and his own pessimism front and center.

From New York Times

This immersive, site-specific performance piece inspired by the current Getty Villa exhibition “Underworld: Imagining the Afterlife” is part nocturnal processional and part Orphic mystery rite — so comfy shoes and warm clothing are most definitely recommended.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arcane
• cryptic
• distant
• enigmatic
• esoteric
• humble
• inaccessible
• irrelevant
• minor
• mysterious
• odd
• rare
• remote
• secluded
• secretive
• undisclosed
• undistinguished
• unknown