airy
adjective
open to a free current of fresh air; breezy.
airy
American
[air-ee]
/ ˈɛər i /
adjective
-
airier,
comparative
-
airiest
superlative
-
open to a free current of fresh air; breezy.
airy rooms.
-
consisting of or having the character of air; immaterial.
airy phantoms.
-
light in appearance; thin.
airy garments.
-
light in manner; sprightly; lively.
airy songs.
-
light in movement; graceful; delicate.
an airy step.
-
light as air; unsubstantial; unreal; imaginary.
airy dreams.
-
visionary; speculative.
-
performed in the air; aerial.
-
lofty; high in the air.
-
putting on airs; affected; snobbish.
an airy debutante posing for society photographers.
airy
1
British
/ ˈɛərɪ /
adjective
-
abounding in fresh air
-
spacious or uncluttered
-
nonchalant; superficial
-
visionary; fanciful
airy promises
airy plans
-
of or relating to air
-
weightless and insubstantial
an airy gossamer
-
light and graceful in movement
-
having no material substance
airy spirits
-
high up in the air; lofty
-
performed in the air; aerial
Airy
2
British
/ ˈɛərɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Adjective Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of airy
Explanation
An airy place is full of fresh air. Other airy things are either light like air or without substance like air. Air surrounds us, and it has a lot of meanings. If a place is described as airy, that means it's full of fresh air. An open stadium is airy, while a stuffy apartment is not. If a house has lots of open windows, it's airy. Also, an argument that has no substance can be called airy, because there's nothing to it. Light things are airy too: a flimsy, light dress or a low-fat dessert could both be called airy.
Vocabulary lists containing airy
With the Fire on High
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"The Tempest," Vocabulary from a soliloquy
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Those Kids from Fawn Creek
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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.
See Examples For:
The main living and dining areas flow into one another, creating an airy setting for entertaining or relaxing at home.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Finding her current home—an airy, light-filled house set high up on a hill—was grounding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Stone work has been renovated and a partition wall between the two houses has been knocked down to create a light and airy space which shows off the historic architecture and living plants.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
But it’s also what grounds Herzog’s very airy, funny film.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Despite talk of me needing mental rehab, I was feeling pretty light and airy as I headed out of the house that Friday night.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
“I still consider the game something played by women of older generations,” said Lauren Perlin, co-executive director of Camps Airy and Louise in western Maryland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Airy and light, the decor is both California and traditional in style, with French doors in the living room, multiple fireplaces, and warm wood flooring throughout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
In 2022, she and members of her lab designed and 3D-printed a flexible and versatile tool known as an Airy beam-enabled binary acoustic metasurface that allowed them to manipulate ultrasound beams.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 17, 2024
Pond's successor, George Airy, became fed up of this and limited the access to once a week, on a Monday.
From BBC ● May 27, 2024
Airy was a fierce little boy with a sword, and I’m just a grey mouse girl with a pail.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
It ushered in a new kind of fun that was fresher, busier and airier than past listservs and chatrooms, the dank basements of internet interaction.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
The small kitchen retains its midcentury charm, but open shelving above the counter provides an airier, more contemporary cupboard to show off Miranda-Martin’s dish and glassware collection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Textural variety was prominent, with garments ranging from soft, stretch-infused woven pieces to those boasting a lighter, airier feel, thanks to special weaving techniques.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 29, 2023
More space lends an airier feel to the room, across the alley from Centrolina and newly dressed with salmon-colored chairs and fuchsia banquettes.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 21, 2022
The deserted Ravenclaw common room was a wide, circular room, airier than any Harry had ever seen at Hogwarts.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
By contrast, Leithauser’s witty “Rhyme’s Rooms: The Architecture of Poetry” blueprints the struts and girders, the iron armature, needed to create even the airiest lyric.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2022
The airiest batch with the best flavor hailed from the food mill, which came with its own pros and cons.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2021
She sailed through her dastardly wolf turn, obliterated all but one of her tricky connecting skills, and then positively flew off the apparatus with the highest, airiest double pike I have ever seen.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2021
It was also the airiest, least urban setting of our stops.
From New York Times ● Sep. 2, 2010
It was a pleasant, mellow-toned bell, but even the airiest, tinkling chime can be rung insistently and in a panic, and that was unmistakably the type of ringing this was.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
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