ambience
Americannoun
plural
ambiencesnoun
Etymology
Origin of ambience
First recorded in 1885–90
Explanation
Ambience is another word for atmosphere in the sense of the mood a place or setting has. If an expensive restaurant has soft lighting and peaceful music, it has a pleasant, soothing ambience. Ambience is one of those words that we've out and out stolen from French. In French, the word meaning the same thing is, you guessed it, ambience. This is a word you're going to want to know if you have any interest in restaurant reviews — they always want to talk about the ambience. As a funny quirk, the word has a positive feel to it; it can be used to mean nice atmosphere without even using the word, nice, as in, "Hey, this place really has ambience."
Vocabulary lists containing ambience
"They Speak for Success" and "Breaking the Ice"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"First Love Language" by Stefany Valentine, Broken Hearts and Broken Homes–A Different Love Language
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Not to be outdone by the album’s soaring musical ambience, Styles’ lyrics never disappoint, blending his penchant for witticism with pop-culture philosophy.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
Chipped conch shells and scattered bone whistles point to a musical ambience.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
That charged ambience has taken on new meaning after Ghana's famed Highlife music was inscribed recently on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a major international recognition of one of west Africa's most influential musical traditions.
From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026
Hosting on a budget is a rite of passage, I think—a kind of domestic apprenticeship where you suddenly realize that ambience is not something you can buy in the seasonal aisle.
From Salon • Nov. 25, 2025
I wanted the comfort of preschool, not the ambience.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
