platonic

adjective pla·ton·ic \ plə-ˈtä-nik , plā- \

Definition of platonic

1 capitalized :of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or Platonism

2 a :relating to or based on platonic love; also :experiencing or professing platonic love

b :of, relating to, or being a relationship marked by the absence of romance or sex

3 :nominal, theoretical

—

platonically

play \plə-ˈtä-ni-k(ə-)lē, plā-\ adverb

See platonic defined for English-language learners

Examples of platonic in a Sentence

Whereas in the more northerly clime of England the courtly lover of Malory and the Round Table tended to platonic adoration from afar, the Parisian woman already expected—and received—more earthly devotion. —Alistair Horne, Seven Ages of Paris, 2002
Relax. The Three Phils are strictly platonic. Yet three-pal business relationships are just as vulnerable to messy implosions as their romantic counterparts. —Anne Marie Cruz, ESPN, 7 Feb. 2000
… before concluding that your PC is for work and not pleasure, try hooking up a couple of first-rate speakers and then planting yourself in the platonic ideal of the chair. —Fortune, Summer 1998
They had a platonic friendship, not a romantic one.
Our relationship was strictly platonic.

Recent Examples of platonic from the Web

Have explicit, emotionally vulnerable conversations with your platonic loved ones: ask for advice, be critical, share knowledge and validate experiences.

— tina horn, Allure, "A Beginner's Guide to Talking Dirty (Without Feeling Awkward)," 23 Aug. 2017
Stamos and Loughlin may have played one of TV's most beloved couples on Full House, but the costars stuck to a platonic relationship off-screen — mostly because they were involved with other people while working on the show.

— grace gavilanes, PEOPLE.com, "John Stamos Calls Lori Loughlin 'The One That Got Away,' Plus More Missed Celeb Love Connections," 22 Aug. 2017
The fresh fillet of sole, coated in buttermilk and panko and lightly fried, is the platonic ideal of a cutlet.

— emma wartzman, Bon Appetit, "Cutlets Are the 2017 Dish of the Year," 17 Aug. 2017
But this ongoing arrangement, although platonic, is somewhat more personal than a host-and-guest/boss-and-underling setup.

— michelle nicolosi, OregonLive.com, "Workplace: What would you do if your boss asked to stay at your house? (Advice column)," 3 Aug. 2017
The former Miami Hurricane wide receiver described his accuser as a platonic friend of 10 years.

— linda trischitta, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Former NFL star Michael Irvin won't be charged; rape investigation dropped," 24 July 2017
But the PC OEMs have stepped up their game since then, and the MacBook Air is no longer the platonic ideal of what an ultraportable laptop should be.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Surface Laptop is just a laptop, making it Microsoft’s most baffling release yet," 21 July 2017
The very qualities that characterize the platonic ideal of a wedding invitation –

— meaghan o'connell, The Cut, "Please Just Text Me: Against Fancy Wedding Invitations," 19 July 2017
Beautiful Boy began in early 2014, when Rivera and Lillis were still just platonic friends.

— chaédria labouvier, Harper's BAZAAR, "Photographer's Arresting Images Test Boundaries of Being Gender Fluid in America," 31 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'platonic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Two Meanings of platonic

The two most common senses of platonic come from the same source, yet are different enough in meaning that it is rather important to distinguish between them. The original sense relates to the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, or to his philosophy. It will always be capitalized. A secondary meaning that also stems from the name of the philosopher describes feelings or a relationship that are characterized by an absence of romance or sex (a platonic relationship in this sense might simply be called a friendship). This sense alludes to Plato’s belief that love between people could be so strong as to transcend physical attachments.

Origin and Etymology of platonic

Latin platonicus, from Greek platōnikos, from Platōn Plato

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First Known Use: 1533

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platonic

Definition of platonic

platonically

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Two Meanings of platonic

Origin and Etymology of platonic

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platonic

Definition of platonic

platonically

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