Definition of PLATONIC

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.

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 on the Web

In Mingle All the Way, Molly Hoffman (Jen Lilley) creates an app to help single partygoers find a platonic plus one to bring to their their holiday soirées. — Jennifer Aldrich, Country Living, "Hallmark's 'Mingle All the Way' Was Filmed in This Super Popular Canadian City," 1 Dec. 2018 Cate Blanchett is appealingly brisk and no-nonsense as Mrs. Zimmerman, and her bantering, snippy, utterly platonic relationship with Jonathan Barnavelt is a rare thing in cinema, in kids’ films and adult movies alike. — Tasha Robinson, The Verge, "Films like The House With a Clock In Its Walls are poisonous to kids’ cinema," 23 Sep. 2018 Building a brand that speaks to a changing market Design often plateaus once the platonic ideal of a product becomes established—like mobile phones have all become slight variations on slim glass rectangles. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "The rise of the direct-to-consumer home," 21 Dec. 2018 All bonds — romantic, platonic, professional, familial — will be affected by the planetary motions. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What October's Taurus Horoscope Means for You," 30 Sep. 2018 First came Jalakara in 2016, the platonic ideal of the chic jungle hideaway, on the crown of a hill in the island’s rugged interior and thoughtfully accessorized with items procured by the British owners during their adventures all over India. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "The Best Places to Travel in 2019," 7 Dec. 2018 While this represents a platonic ideal of a beautiful landscape, no such thing exists in reality. — Diana Budds, Curbed, "The most bizarre and brilliant projects from a Dutch design fair," 5 Nov. 2018 Tolentino takes the former Governor Mike Huckabee’s boys as the platonic ideal of Sons. — Bijan Stephen, The Verge, "Toward a taxonomy of men online," 14 Aug. 2018 Locanda del Gallo Arriving here feels like finding the platonic ideal of the Italian countryside inn. — Laura Itzkowitz, Condé Nast Traveler, "5 Best Day Trips from Rome," 5 Mar. 2018

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.