'apollonian' ultimately originates from Greek, specifically the name 'Apóllōn' (Ἀπόλλων), where the name referred to the Greek god Apollo.

'apollonian' entered English formation via Latin 'Apollo' plus the adjectival suffix '-ian'; in later intellectual history the term was popularized in German philosophical aesthetics (e.g. 'apollinisch' in the 18th–19th centuries) to denote qualities associated with Apollo and set in contrast to Dionysian characteristics, and from these usages the English adjective took on its specialized aesthetic sense.

Initially, it meant 'pertaining to the god Apollo' or 'of Apollo'; over time, especially in modern aesthetic and philosophical contexts, it evolved to mean 'characterized by order, rationality, and measured beauty' (often contrasted with 'Dionysian').