auroral
AmericanOther Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of auroral
First recorded in 1545–55; auror(a) ( def. ) + -al 1
Explanation
An aurora is an astronomical phenomenon, when colored lights seem to shimmer in the sky. Auroral refers to that display––you might describe it as a show of auroral light. The best known aurora is the aurora borealis, otherwise known as the northern lights. If you ever have trouble with auroral, try to remember Fozzie Bear's summation of the impossible from a line in the "Muppet Movie": "The aurora borealis/shining down in Dallas/Can you picture that?"
Vocabulary lists containing auroral
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Black and Diffuse Auroral Science Surveyor focused on unusual dark regions within auroras known as black auroras.
From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026
Auroral activity also has been forecast for Canada, including Vancouver.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 8, 2023
Auroral activity tends to pick up around the equinoxes, one of which just passed on Monday.
From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2023
The best chances of seeing the lights are in the elliptical area known as the Auroral Oval, which is centered on geomagnetic north.
From The New Yorker • Apr. 22, 2019
As we started out again we witnessed a magnificent Auroral display, and as we dragged the now light sledge onward we watched the gold white streamers waving and playing in the heavens.
From South with Scott by Mountevans, Edward Ratcliffe Garth Russell Evans, baron
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
