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.
Example Sentences
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 expected—and received—more earthly devotion. Alistair Horne, Seven Ages of Paris, 2002Relax. 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.
Recent Examples on the WebIf substantial platonic relationship studies are rare, ones about men are rarer still. Guy Lodge, Variety, 5 Sep. 2022 As dating apps become more ubiquitous in culture, the app has been making moves to transform into more of a community platform that allows for both romantic and platonic connection via Discord-like livestreams and group chat features. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 22 Aug. 2022 After forging a friendship in the early 2000s when they were introduced through mutual friend Jon Lovitz, Handler and Koy's platonic relationship blossomed into a romance. Francesca Gariano, PEOPLE.com, 19 July 2022 Being platonic roommates with someone is lower risk, as is participating in most sports. Katia Hetter, CNN, 24 Aug. 2022 For editor Kate Hickey, telling Mr. Malcolm List’s various love stories — platonic and romantic — was made more challenging by the fact that she and Jones were forced to work thousands of miles apart due to the pandemic. Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Aug. 2022 Martha Stewart is keeping it strictly platonic (and maybe maternal) with Pete Davidson. Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 12 Aug. 2022 Iervolino even gave Gomez a couple of kisses on her forehead, which could just be a platonic sign of affection. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 6 Aug. 2022 Meri, on the other hand, had previously entered a rough patch with Kody that led to them forging more of a platonic bond. Dory Jackson, PEOPLE.com, 26 July 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin platonicus, from Greek platōnikos, from Platōn Plato