nebulosity

[neb-yuh-los-i-tee]

noun

plural

nebulosities 

1. nebulous or nebular matter.

2. a nebulous form, shape, or mass.

3. the state or condition of being nebulous.

nebulosity

/ ˌnɛbjʊˈlɒsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state or quality of being nebulous

2. astronomy a nebula

Word History and Origins

Origin of nebulosity¹

From the Late Latin word nebulōsitās, dating back to 1755–65. See nebulose, -ity

Example Sentences

Add in the nebulosity of the last days of a presidential administration and you can see where giving flowers gets murky.

Read more on Salon

In this picture made by Chris Heapy, at the upper left of the Jellyfish Nebula there is a much fainter background area of nebulosity, which is a large cloud of mostly molecular hydrogen gas and dust.

Read more on BBC

Later, the stars wander out of their nursery to seek their fortunes in the Milky Way, stellar adolescents still surrounded by tuffs of glowing nebulosity, residues still gravitationally attached of their amniotic gas.

Read more on Literature

“I have announced this star as a comet, but since it is not accompanied by any nebulosity and, further, since its movement is so slow and rather uniform, it has occurred to me several times that it might be something better than a comet. But I have been careful not to advance this supposition to the public.”

Read more on Forbes

"You can also see nebulosity where material has been lit up from inside by stars; and features like the Horsehead Nebula where that star formation has yet to really get going."

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Related Words

• darkness 
• fog 
• gloom 
• mist 
• puff 
• smog 
• smoke 
• steam 
• vapor 
• veil