aerial
Americanadjective
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of, in, or produced by the air.
aerial currents.
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inhabiting or frequenting the air.
aerial creatures.
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operating on a track or cable elevated above the ground.
an aerial ski lift up the mountainside.
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reaching far into the air; high; lofty.
aerial spires.
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partaking of the nature of air; airy.
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unsubstantial; visionary.
aerial fancies.
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having a light and graceful beauty; ethereal.
aerial music.
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Biology. growing in the air, as the adventitious roots of some trees.
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pertaining to or used for, against, or in aircraft.
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supplied or performed by means of aircraft.
aerial support; aerial reconnaissance.
adjective
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of, relating to, or resembling air
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existing, occurring, moving, or operating in the air
aerial cable car
aerial roots of a plant
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ethereal; light and delicate
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imaginary; visionary
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extending high into the air; lofty
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of or relating to aircraft
aerial combat
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of aerial
1595–1605; 1900–05 aerial for def. 11; < Latin āeri ( us ) of the air (< Greek āérios, equivalent to āer- (stem of āḗr air 1 ) + -ios adj. suffix) + -al 1
Explanation
Things that are aerial are happening in the air: birds, planes, and missiles are all aerial things. When talking about things that are literally up in the air, you can use the word aerial. If a country sends planes to bomb another country, that's an aerial attack. In football, the passing game is called the aerial game. Anything light and airy can also be called aerial, and an aerial is a device that picks up radio or TV signals: it plucks them out of the air. So when you see the word aerial, just think "air."
Vocabulary lists containing aerial
Flying High: Aviation Words
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
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Elements of the Universe: Aer, Aero ("Air")
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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:
He said they would normally have to wait every five to seven years for "a record heatwave summer for aerial archaeology", but now they come "every year".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The advance could support the development of more capable lidar sensors for challenging uses, including autonomous vehicle navigation, aerial mapping, and the monitoring of construction sites.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
The city administration reported that an oil depot was struck by unmaned aerial vehicles, causing a fire.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Bulgaria said Monday that the U.S. had requested permission to deploy up to eight aerial refueling tankers in the country to support American operations in the Middle East.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
She borrowed an antiaircraft balloon from the Luftwaffe and tethered it near the finish so a cameraman could dangle from it for aerial shots.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Show your children aerials of courses from all over the world, and talk about how different courses can look along the Pacific coast, the Lowcountry of South Carolina or in the Scottish Highlands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Two hours later, China had another gold as freestyle skier Xu Mengtao won the women's aerials final.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Some of Mr Iliffe's neighbours also suffered damage to their properties - with other aerials destroyed, brickwork damaged, roof tiles blown off, and one with the windows blown out of his greenhouse.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2024
Before the aerials, the back handsprings, the 100-meter dashes and relay handoffs, these seemingly otherworldly talents are still regular people.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024
You could see lots of aerials and satellite dishes, and sometimes, right over in the distance, a glistening line that was the sea.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
