Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Solomonic

Solomonic

1 9.9
Showing great wisdom and fairness when making a difficult decision
  • adjective
  • /ˌsɒləˈmɒnɪk/
  • Formal
translation icon : salomónico
  • The leader's Solomonic approach to the controversial issue earned him the respect of both sides.
  • Solomonic decision

Examples

  • They base their Solomonic decision not so much on right or wrong since both parties were right and wrong, but on practical, political convenience (Carter 331).

    Academic text (1991)

  • The judge's Solomonic decision helped both parties feel they received a fair outcome.

  • Arbitrators may also be more likely to issue Solomonic "split the baby" decisions to make their employers, the parties, equally happy and increase the likelihood that the arbitrator will be selected by these parties in the future.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Whenever we adjudicate quarrels between children, we discover that no matter how Solomonic our proposal, the aggrieved children immediately respond, "But that's not fair!"

    Academic text (1995)

  • Genesis 15:18-21—from the Nile to the Euphrates, or perhaps with those of the Solomonic kingdom itself.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The tabernacle, and both the Herodian and Solomonic temples in Jerusalem, were splendid, ornate, and rich buildings where the worship was ceremonial and ritualistic.

    Blog text (33)

  • In traditional Ethiopian art, we find St. Mary playing the role of mother, Birutawite as a victim waiting to be saved by St. George, the Queen of Sheba as a royal woman used to legitimize the Solomonic dynasty (1270-1974), and ordinary women as housewives and helpmates of men.

    Academic text (2009)

  • In negotiations, finding a Solomonic compromise can prevent conflicts from escalating.

Synonyms

wise
vsSolomonic
758 2.1

Showing good judgment from experience

is about high fair wisdom for difficult decisions rather than everyday judgment
sagacious
vsSolomonic
  • Formal
2 8.6

Being very wise and good at making decisions

stresses fairness and wise balance in difficult choices rather than shrewdness
oracular
vsSolomonic
  • Literature
1 9.9

Like a wise person's opinion that people accept as final

prefers balanced impartial judgment for hard choices rather than prophetic authority
sapiential
vsSolomonic
  • Formal
9.9

Showing deep wisdom about life or spiritual matters

focuses on fair, practical judgment in hard decisions rather than divine insight

How Wise

sage
1 7.4
Solomonic
  • Formal
1 9.9
wise
758 2.1
reasonable
595 2.7

Surface Forms

Solomonic positive

Morphology

Solomonic = Solomon (semi-transparent) = Solomon + ic

Formally 'Solomon' + '-ic' is clear, but the meaning relies on cultural/encyclopedic knowledge that Solomon was famed for wise and fair decisions, so learners without that background may not infer the sense.

Etymology

Solomonic comes from the biblical King Solomon, who was famous for 'wisdom' and for making a very fair, clever judgment — you may remember the story where he suggested cutting a baby in two to find the true mother. So a Solomonic decision means a very wise and fair solution to a hard problem.