apollonian

UK/æpəˈləʊnɪ.ən/

apollonian adjective: clear, harmonious, and restrained.

Adjective (1)

apollonian

Apollonian (comparative more Apollonian, superlative most Apollonian)

(Greek) Of or relating to the ancient Olympian Greek God Apollo.
- You have your lovers - dusky beaus / Not made of the poetic stuff / That sports an Apollonian nose, / And wears a sleek Byronic cuff.1877, Henry Kendall, “Ode to a Black Gin”, in The Australian Town and Country Journal, page 24
- The forces of nature is a major theme embodied in the two main goddess characters. The "northern woman" is Appollonian ^([sic]) in her nature — cold, reserved, quiet, identified with the moon; the "southern woman" is Dionysian — passionate, a sun goddess.1979 August 4, Linda Stein, “Stopping Short of Self-Awareness”, in Gay Community News, page 18
Synonyms:

Apollonistic
Of or relating to the Ancient Greek mathematician Apollonius of Perga.
Pertaining to Apollonia.
- They speak Aowin [Anyi] but their blood is Apollonian blood.2011, Power and State Formation in West Africa: Appolonia from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century, →ISBN
(alternative) Alternative form of apollonian.
The physical property of material that can resume its shape after being stretched or deformed; elasticity.

Apollonian (plural Apollonians)

One who is apollonian.
One who follows/worships Apollo.
- By contrast, Apollonians value reason more than feeling.2008, Herbert Spiegel, David Spiegel, Trance and Treatment: Clinical Uses of Hypnosis, →ISBN, page 120
- Apollonians and Dionysians are usually the same people: now sober and serene, now drunk and frenzied.2011, Yuri Slezkine, The Jewish Century, →ISBN, page 24
A native of Apollonia.
- But the Apollonians being soon informed of the thing, caused him to appear without delay before the court of justice; and sentenced him to lose his eyes, for sleeping when he ought to have watched.1824, Isaac Littlebury, transl., The History of Herodotus
- Another clause in the rules of conduct drawn up for defeated Appolonia virtually transferred jurisdiction to Maclean: by it, he invited 'every Appolonian who may be oppressed or injured wither [i.e. whether] by Quacoe Accah [Kwaku Akkah, the King] or any other chief ... to make his complaint to the...1978, Paul Mmegha Mbaeyi, British Military and Naval Forces in West African History, 1807-1874
A native of the planet Apollo.
- At first, when the Apollonians converged on her, Mary Theresa thought she had made a major mistake by going to the battle.2013, Jim Henry, Universal Life Force Series Featuring Antiquity Calais Vol. 1-3, →ISBN
- The last person who tried this kind of appeal was actually the new vessel -- an Apollonian, one I knew briefly.2013, James Bartholomeusz, The Grey Star, →ISBN, page 17

Coined by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. From German apollinisch (“Apollonian”).

From Latin Apollō (Apollōn-) + -ian and Apollonius/Apollonia + -an.

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

What does apollonian mean?: Apollonian means clear, harmonious, and restrained.
What part of speech is apollonian?: Apollonian can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce apollonian?: Apollonian is pronounced /æpəˈləʊnɪ.ən/ (UK).

Adapted from Wiktionary: apollonian (page history and authors); Apollonian (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Apollonian.wav.

Cite this entry: “apollonian.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/apollonian. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.