ambient

[ am-bee-uhnt ]
See synonyms for: ambientambients on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of the surrounding area or environment: Your voice mail picked up some ambient noise from airplanes and lawn mowers.The temperature in the display case was 20° lower than the ambient temperature.

  2. completely surrounding; enveloping: Many pollutants are present in ambient air in relatively low concentrations.

  1. creating a certain reaction or mood, often a subconscious one, by being wherever people tend to be: ambient advertising on a shopping cart.

  2. pertaining to or noting sounds that create a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere: I stream ambient ocean sounds to help me fall asleep.

  3. pertaining to or noting close and constant social contact and communication fostered by the internet or the use of digital devices: social media sites that enable ambient intimacy and awareness.

Origin of ambient

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin ambient- (stem of ambiēns, present participle of ambīre “to go around”), equivalent to amb- ambi- + -i- “go” + -ent- -ent

Other words from ambient

  • un·am·bi·ent, adjective
  • un·am·bi·ent·ly, adverb

Words Nearby ambient

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ambient in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ambient

ambient

/ (ˈæmbɪənt) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to the immediate surroundings: the ambient temperature was 15°C

  2. creating a relaxing atmosphere: ambient music

noun
  1. informal ambient music

Origin of ambient

1
C16: from Latin ambiēns going round, from ambīre, from ambi- + īre to go

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012