platonic love

noun

often capitalized P

: love conceived by Plato as ascending from passion for the individual to contemplation of the universal and ideal

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

As for the platonic love between Faison and Braff, that began even before Scrubs debuted in 2001. —

Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2024 Love is in the air right now (whether that be romantic love, self-love, or platonic love with your besties) as Valentine's Day quickly approaches. —

Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 26 Jan. 2024 There’s also a platonic love triangle between Suzie, Sunny, and the bartender, Mixxy (a mixologist — get it?), who becomes inordinately invested in helping a rather typical barroom drunk. —

Ben Travers, IndieWire, 10 July 2024 There’s also romantic love, familial love, platonic love. —

Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for platonic love

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of platonic love was in 1631

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Platonic love.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platonic%20love. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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