dionysian

/daɪ̯əˈnɪʒən/

Etymology

From German dionysisch (“Dionysian”). Coined by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

dionysian means Of or pertaining to Dionysus. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 81 out of 100.

Why this word is great

DIONYSIAN — [Adjective] Relating to the spontaneous, irrational, ecstatic, and uninhibited aspects of human nature, as characterized by the Greek god Dionysus. From the German dionysisch, coined by Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) from the name of the Greek god Dionysus. Unlike "apollonian," which imposes the sunlit geometry of reason upon life's mess, or "stoic," which builds a seawall of endurance against the emotional tide, the Dionysian is the tide itself—the primal surrender that dissolves the individual into the collective pulse. It is the sweat-drenched revel of the bacchanal, the raw-throated chorus of the tragic hymn, and the wild vine that cracks the marble temple from within. It is the terrifying, necessary truth that civilization is a temporary composition played upon an instrument of bone and blood.

adj

Of or pertaining to Dionysus.
Wild, irrational, undisciplined, orgiastic.“He said he loved making movies like Luca Guadagnino’s “A Bigger Splash,” in which his charismatic, obstreperous character, Harry Hawkes, a music producer described by the Italian director as “a pagan fawn,” does a Dionysian dance to the Rolling Stones song “Emotional Rescue.””

noun

A follower of Dionysus.
One who is dionysian.