Apollonian

[ ap-uh-loh-nee-uhn ]

adjective

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

Apollonian

/ ˌæpəˈləʊnɪən /

adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Apollonian¹

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

Example Sentences

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg