platonic love

noun, often capitalized P

Definition of 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

Schrager casts his relationship with Rubell as a sort of platonic love affair. Julia Felsenthal, Vogue, "Matt Tyrnauer’s New Documentary, Studio 54, Takes On the Rise, Fall, and Last Days of Disco," 4 Oct. 2018 This fun, sweet novel beautifully captures the power of romantic and platonic love alike. Emily Ables, Seventeen, "I Read Pretty Much Every YA Book in 2016 and These Are Definitely the 10 Best," 28 Dec. 2016 Well, the platonic love between longtime ice dancing partners Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, anyway. Raisa Bruner, Time, "Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir's Platonic Relationship Can't Stop the Internet From Celebrating Valentine's Day on Their Behalf," 14 Feb. 2018 Smith's comedy sheds a light on the complications of romance and platonic love, and how dangerous mixing the two can be. Esquire Editors, Esquire, "The 15 Best Rom-Coms (for People Who Hate Rom-Coms)," 8 Feb. 2017 There have been some historic celebrity friendships that pass from mere pals to the pantheon of great platonic loves. Kenzie Bryant, Vanities, "Ina Garten Made Stephen Colbert the Cover Star of Her “New Cookbook”," 22 Mar. 2017

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

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First Known Use of platonic love

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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