sylvan
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or inhabiting the woods.
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consisting of or abounding in woods or trees; wooded; woody.
a shady, sylvan glade.
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made of trees, branches, boughs, etc.
noun
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a person dwelling in a woodland region.
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a mythical deity or spirit of the woods.
adjective
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of, characteristic of, or consisting of woods or forests
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living or located in woods or forests
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idyllically rural or rustic
noun
Etymology
Origin of sylvan
1555–65; < Latin sylvānus, spelling variant of silvānus, equivalent to silv ( a ) forest + -ānus -an
Explanation
The adjective sylvan refers to a shady, wooded area. The word suggests a peaceful, pleasant feeling, as though you were far away from the noise of modern life. As a noun, sylvan means a being that inhabits the woods. The Roman god of woods and fields was known as Silvanus, sometimes also known as the half-man, half-goat sylvan called Pan. Shakespeare’s character Puck, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, seems based on a sylvan, and other authors used the image as well. The adjectival use of the Middle French word sylvain evolved in the mid-16th century. The word is most often used today to describe an idyllic wooded area.
Vocabulary lists containing sylvan
Hidden Figures
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The Waste Land
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"Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats
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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.
The team, whose five British riders include four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome, is Israeli registered and owned by Israeli-Canadian property billionaire Sylvan Adams.
From BBC • Sep. 27, 2025
“Intersex people in the U.S. are extremely worried” that they will become bigger targets, said Sylvan Fraser Anthony, legal and policy director at the intersex advocacy group InterACT.
From Salon • Aug. 6, 2025
The chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett of the popular San Francisco restaurant Rintaro is known for bringing California flair and local, seasonal ingredients to traditional Japanese cuisine.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2024
Jennifer Hornick, the parent of students at West Sylvan Middle School, favors canceling part of winter break.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2023
The jail in Tiburon did not have curtains like the one in Sylvan.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
