Meaning & use
epicurean
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Devoted to refined pleasure, especially excellent food, drink, comfort, and sensory enjoyment.
Grammar: Usually before a noun; can be predicative in polished prose, but attributive use is most natural.
Patterns
- epicurean feast
- epicurean tastes
- epicurean lifestyle
The menu was epicurean, with truffle pasta and aged port.
He planned an epicurean weekend of markets, bakeries, and long dinners.
nouncountable
A person who enjoys and often knows a great deal about fine food and drink.
Grammar: Countable; plural epicureans. Less specific than gourmet, which stresses knowledge and judgment.
Patterns
- a committed epicurean
- an epicurean at heart
My aunt is an epicurean who plans trips around restaurants.
A true epicurean can praise simple soup cooked well.
adjectivebefore a nounspecialist
Relating to Epicurus or Epicureanism, especially the pursuit of moderate pleasure and freedom from disturbance.
Grammar: Often capitalized when referring to the philosopher or school; lowercase use usually means luxurious pleasure.
Patterns
- Epicurean philosophy
- Epicurean ethics
Epicurean ethics value friendship and the absence of pain.
The seminar compared Epicurean thought with Stoic discipline.
Common combinations
- epicurean feast
- The wedding ended with an epicurean feast under string lights.
- epicurean delights
- The tour promised epicurean delights in every port.
- epicurean lifestyle
- Critics mocked his epicurean lifestyle during the shortage.
- Epicurean philosophy
- Epicurean philosophy is often misread as simple excess.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hedonistic
- Broader pursuit of pleasure; epicurean suggests taste, quality, and refinement.
- gourmet
- As a noun, a food expert; epicurean can name the pleasure-seeker as well as the adjective.
- sybaritic
- Emphasizes soft luxury and indulgence, often with a hint of excess.
- ascetic
- Near opposite in practice, though used here as a contrast: self-denying rather than pleasure-seeking.
Opposites
Word family
- epicure noun
- A person with refined enjoyment of food and drink.
- Epicureanism noun
- The philosophy associated with Epicurus.
- epicureanism noun
- Lowercase: devotion to refined pleasure and comfort.
Commonly confused: epicurean or Epicurean? epicurean or epicure?
epicurean vs Epicurean
Capitalized, it points to the Greek philosopher and his school; lowercase epicurean usually means devoted to fine pleasures.
epicurean vs epicure
An epicure is the person; epicurean is often the adjective or a more general noun.
Practice
Choose the best word: “The restaurant’s tasting menu was proudly ___, with rare cheese and vintage wine.”
Choose one answer.
Epicurean fits refined indulgence in food and drink. Ascetic means self-denying, bland means tasteless, and hasty describes speed rather than pleasure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “epicurean”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.