ambient
Americanadjective
-
of the surrounding area or environment: The temperature in the display case was 20° lower than the ambient temperature.
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.
-
completely surrounding; enveloping.
Many pollutants are present in ambient air in relatively low concentrations.
-
creating a certain reaction or mood, often a subconscious one, by being wherever people tend to be.
ambient advertising on a shopping cart.
-
pertaining to or noting sounds that create a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.
I stream ambient ocean sounds to help me fall asleep.
-
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.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to the immediate surroundings
the ambient temperature was 15°C
-
creating a relaxing atmosphere
ambient music
noun
Other Word Forms
- unambient adjective
- unambiently adverb
Etymology
Origin of ambient
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
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 path of a cannon ball depends on many factors, including launch speed and angle, air resistance, changing wind conditions, and even ambient temperature.
From Science Daily
Over on “The Bite,” I’ve written about returning to “ambient hospitality” — the idea of having a home that’s ready for company without weeks of planning, a small fortune, or a hired brigade of cleaners.
From Salon
Mr Osborne later staged a partial climbdown by exempting products that are left to return to "ambient temperatures" on shelves in bakeries and supermarkets.
From BBC
The improvisation petered out after more than an hour with no sense of arrival, just an agreeable sensation of being OK in wherever ambient world you had just landed.
From Los Angeles Times
The Restore 3 is a sleeper’s Swiss Army knife, with a variety of white noise and other ambient sounds, along with gentle lighting to ease you into—and out of—your bed.
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.
