platonic
adjective
pla·ton·ic
| \ plÉ-ËtĂ€-nik
, plÄ-\
, plÄ-\
Definition of platonic
b
: of, relating to, or being a relationship marked by the absence of romance or sex
3
: nominal, theoretical
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Other Words from platonic
platonically
\ plÉ-ËtĂ€-ni-k(É-)lÄ
, plÄ- \
adverb
, plÄ- \
adverb
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 expectedâand receivedâmore 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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
His expression was the platonic idea of self-loathing. — Ars Staff, Ars Technica, "Ars goes back to school: The video games that threatened our college GPA," 8 Sep. 2019 During the next few years, Celmins had a number of long-term relationships with men who were not artists, but her closest (platonic) friend was Douglas Wheeler, one of the first California artists to work with light and space. — Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, "Vija Celminsâs Surface Matters," 26 Aug. 2019 Cuddling is a platonic service, the website says, where everyone must be clothed. — Anne Ryman, USA TODAY, "Client says Arizona massage therapist's 'cuddling' session turned sexual," 16 Aug. 2019 The truth is that B.J. is so much more like family now than a platonic friend. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "B.J. Novak Says He's Feeling 'Grateful' as He Celebrates His 40th Birthday with Mindy Kaling," 1 Aug. 2019 Look whoâs coming to play with TVâs favorite platonic couple? — Lynette Rice, EW.com, "Will & Grace casts Demi Lovato in mysterious role opposite Eric McCormack," 27 Aug. 2019 The truth is that B.J. is so much more like family now than a platonic friend. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "B.J. Novak Says He's Feeling 'Grateful' as He Celebrates His 40th Birthday with Mindy Kaling," 1 Aug. 2019 The truth is that B.J. is so much more like family now than a platonic friend. — Joelle Goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "B.J. Novak Says He's Feeling 'Grateful' as He Celebrates His 40th Birthday with Mindy Kaling," 1 Aug. 2019 Then these allegiances shift, and Mechling captures the prickly feelings of possessiveness and isolation that creep in when two people in a triangleâeven a platonic oneâdraw close, shutting out the third. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "Female Friendships Are the Best, Until They Aren't," 20 June 2019These 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.
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More Definitions for platonic
platonic
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of platonic
: of, relating to, or having a close relationship in which there is no romance or sex
See the full definition for platonic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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