English Explanatory Dictionary

ethereal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Pertaining to the presupposition of an invisible air-like element permeating all of space, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere.
  2. Pertaining to the immaterial realm, as symbolically represented by, or (in earlier epochs) conflated with, such atmospheric and extra-atmospheric concepts.
  3. Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.
noun
  1. Ellipsis of ethereal wave (“music genre”).

Pronunciation

/ɪˈθɪə.ɹɪ.əl/ /ɪˈθɪɚ.i.əl/ /iˈθɪɚ.i.əl/ en-us-ethereal.ogg /iˈθɪə̯.ri.əl/ /əˈθɪə̯.ri.əl/ en-au-ethereal.ogg

Word forms

ethereal more ethereal most ethereal aethereal aetherial æthereal ætherial æthereall ætheriall

Etymology

From Latin aetherius (“of or pertaining to the ether, the sky, Heaven or the air or upper air”), from Ancient Greek αἰθέριος (aithérios, “of or pertaining to the upper air”). By surface analysis, ether + -ial.

Synonyms

aetheric etheric aereous celestial incorporeal insubstantial intangible spiritual uncorporeal mystical otherworldly transcendental cosmic universal ethereous delicate light aeriform aerial airy ethereal gaseous pneumatic vaporlike vaporous wafty aery immaterial tenuous unreal unsubstantial subtle tricky nice knotty

Antonyms

earthly corporeal corporal

Derived words

electroethereal etherealisation etherealise etherealism ethereality etherealization etherealize etherealizing ethereally etherealness ethereal wave metethereal nonethereal unethereal
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