protreptic

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UK/pɹəʊˈtɹɛptɪk/US/pɹoʊˈtɹɛptɪk/

adjective

Serving to instruct; didactic.

Similar
protreptical
OriginAncient Greek προτρεπτικός →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

adjectiveprotreptic (comparative more protreptic, superlative most protreptic)

comparative more protreptic · superlative most protreptic

  1. Serving to instruct; didactic.

    A protreptic discourse for beginners, no matter what the stage of Plato's development when he wrote it, would contain much elementary matter and would certainly not reveal his most profound thought.

    1930, Dorothy Tarrant, “The Hippias Major Attributed to Plato (Book Review)”, in The Classical Journal, volume 25

    Synonyms: protreptical

nounprotreptic (plural protreptics)

plural protreptics

  1. A didactic speech, book, etc.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveServing to instruct; didactic.

Similar
protreptical
Also see
hortatory

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπροτρεπτικός“hortatory”
  2. Englishprotreptic

Borrowed from Ancient Greek προτρεπτικός (protreptikós, “hortatory”), from προτρέπω (protrépō, “to urge on”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

protreptic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protreptic

MLA

“protreptic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protreptic. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “protreptic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/protreptic.

Source: protreptic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.