platonic love

noun

variants often Platonic love

1

: love conceived by Plato as ascending from passion for the individual to contemplation of the universal and ideal

2

: a close relationship between two persons in which sexual desire is nonexistent or has been suppressed or sublimated

Examples of platonic love in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And while a few sitcoms like Sex and the City have celebrated the importance of friendship for decades, there seems to be a growing appetite for storylines that take platonic love seriously—evident in the new wave of shows like Dying for Sex, Platonic, and Overcompensating. —Jenna Ryu, SELF, 11 Dec. 2025

Sharing a similar sentiment, Stevens West hopes the film shows the true value of platonic love. —Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025

But is that romantic or platonic love? —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 29 Nov. 2025

Despite the changes, one key aspect of The Pink Marine that carries into Boots is the genuine, platonic love between a gay recruit and his straight best friend. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for platonic love

• hereinabove
• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• of
• shove