platonic
adjective
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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 something (such as feelings or a relationship) that is 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
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.
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
The model and Palm Royale actor was spotted leaving New York City in the platonic ideal of an airplane ’fit.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
Stewart’s Abby learns that Harper never came out to her family, so the romantic couple is forced to act as straight platonic friends over the holiday visit.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
Workingman’s Friend is the platonic ideal of a burger joint in several ways, serving heaping stacks of beef and toppings at low prices in a blue-collar atmosphere.
—The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2024
As part of their collaboration with the app, which also offers a platonic friend-finder feature, Bumble gave Brink, Chiles and Williams the opportunity to select another up-and-coming athlete of their choice to receive a Bumble NIL deal.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Denzel Washington and Lenny Kravitz have been close friends for decades — so close, in fact, that the actor joked that their friendship may have transcended platonic boundaries.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024
There are other ways to prioritize platonic bonds without cozying up to your exes.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2024
Perhaps the most important element foregrounded here is Klimt’s longtime (possibly platonic) relationship with Emilie Flöge, his muse and collaborator and a fashion designer in her own right.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'platonic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Platonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platonic. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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