platonic

/plə'tɔnik/

Thân thiện

A close friendship can be a source of deep platonic love.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Free from physical desire or romantic involvement: Describes a close, affectionate relationship that is not sexual or romantic in nature.
   • Of or relating to the philosopher Plato or his philosophy: Pertaining to the ideas, theories, or writings of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.

Usage and Examples

• Describing a non-romantic relationship:

  • Their relationship is purely platonic; they are just very close friends.
  • He maintained a platonic friendship with his former colleague for many years.

• Relating to Plato's philosophy:

  • The concept of ideal forms is a central tenet of Platonic thought.
  • She wrote her thesis on Platonic dialogues concerning justice.

Advanced Usage

• "Platonic ideal": Refers to the perfect, abstract form of something, as theorized by Plato, which exists beyond the physical world.

  • The architect strove to create a building that was the Platonic ideal of a library.

• "Platonic love": A specific term for a deep, non-sexual affection or a love focused on the intellectual or spiritual connection between people.

  • Their correspondence revealed a profound and enduring Platonic love.

Variants and Related Words

• Platonically (adverb): In a platonic manner.

  • They lived together platonically as roommates.

• Platonism (noun): The philosophy of Plato or his followers.

• Neoplatonism (noun): A later system of philosophy derived from Plato's ideas.

Synonyms

• Non-romantic: Describing a relationship without romantic elements.
• Chaste: Pure, abstaining from extramarital or all sexual intercourse (can overlap in meaning but emphasizes purity/restraint).
• Idealized: Regarded as perfect or more perfect than is realistic (related to the philosophical sense).

Antonyms

• Romantic: Characterized by or expressive of love or strong affection, typically with a sexual component.
• Physical: Relating to the body as opposed to the mind or spirit.
• Carnal: Relating to physical, especially sexual, needs and activities.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "Just platonic": A common phrase used to clarify that a relationship is not romantic.

  • "Are you two dating?" "No, it's just platonic."

• "Platonic solids": In geometry, the five regular, convex polyhedrons (tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron) that were studied by Plato and the ancient Greeks.

  • The cube is one of the five Platonic solids.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. free from physical desire
   • platonic love
2. of or relating to or characteristic of Plato or his philosophy
   • Platonic dialogues

Từ đồng nghĩa

• platonic