sapphic
noun
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Sapphic and Greek Poet Sappho
The poet Sappho wrote poems of self-reflection but also of passion, some of it directed to the women attending the school she conducted on the Greek island of Lesbos around 600 B.C. Even though most of the poems survive only as fragments, they have been greatly admired for many centuries. They were written in an original rhythmical pattern, which has become known as sapphic verse. Later admirers, such as the Roman poets Catullus and Horace, honored her by adopting the sapphic meter for their own poetry. Because of Sappho, the island of Lesbos also gave its name to lesbianism, which writers often used to call sapphic love.
Examples of sapphic in a Sentence
Catherine Mhloyi, Them., 29 Oct. 2025
Arias weaves a lovely tale of unrequited love that isn’t as unrequited in this sapphic, slow-burn romance that also touches on weighty topics, including divorce and grief.
—Mia Sosa, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025
Seriously, we'd be lost without the sapphics right now.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 22 Mar. 2025
Like scissoring, tribbing was initially associated with lesbians and sapphics, but its definition has expanded over the years to include people with all types of genitals.
—Adejoke Mason, Them, 3 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Sapphic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sapphic. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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