Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for Air Quality Index. Search instead for Air+Quality+Index.

Air Quality Index

Cultural  
  1. A measure of the quantity of harmful particles and chemicals in the air.


Discover More

The index is used by weather forecasters to indicate the purity of the air on a given day. The higher the index, the smoggier (see smog) and more polluted the air.

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.

On Wednesday, we had a rare afternoon where the Air Quality Index was below 100.

From Slate • Feb. 12, 2026

“Windblown ash particles may be too large to be detected by air quality instrumentation and will not influence Air Quality Index levels,” the advisory stated.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2025

The Dubai government, on its web site devoted to the environment, listed its Air Quality Index level mostly at “good” on Sunday.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 3, 2023

Over the past few days, Lahore's Air Quality Index - which measures the level of fine particulate matter in the air - have hovered around the 400 mark.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2023

In Los Angeles, meteorologists warned that the Air Quality Index could reach hazardous levels from the evening of July 4 into the morning of July 5, but then decrease throughout the day on Wednesday.

From New York Times • Jul. 5, 2023