ambiance

Or am·bi·ence

[am-bee-uhns, ahn-byahns]

noun

plural

ambiances 

1. the mood, character, quality, tone, atmosphere, etc., particularly of an environment or milieu.

   The restaurant had a delightful ambiance.

2. that which surrounds or encompasses; environment.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ambiance¹

First recorded in 1885–95; from French, equivalent to ambi(ant) “surrounding” ( Middle French, also ambient ), from Latin; ambient + -ance -ance

Synonym Study

See environment.

Example Sentences

When they served their first steamer of dim sum in 1933, a refined ambiance drew the elite clientele of the era.

Read more on Salon

“The crowd here, the ambiance, the fans — all together they become something much bigger.”

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"It's just for the ambiance," says Shonnys Akoulatele a potential voter who believes there is more to governance than displaying campaign posters.

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Knight and Hofvendahl, whose home was such a key part of the ambiance so treasured by neighbors, are undecided.

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Director Sam Pinkleton turns up the party volume in a revival that sometimes allows the comic ambiance to get the better of its emotional through line.

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Related Words

• ambience 
• atmosphere 
• environs 
• milieu 
• surroundings