one of a class of spiritual beings; a celestial attendant of God. In medieval angelology, angels constituted the lowest of the nine celestial orders (seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations or dominions, virtues, powers, principalities or princedoms, archangels, and angels).
a conventional representation of such a being, in human form, with wings, usually in white robes.
a messenger, especially of God.
a person who performs a mission of God or acts as if sent by God.
an angel of mercy.
a person having qualities generally attributed to an angel, as beauty, purity, or kindliness.
a person whose actions and thoughts are consistently virtuous.
an attendant or guardian spirit.
a deceased person whose soul is regarded as having been accepted into heaven.
a person who provides financial backing for some undertaking, as a play, political campaign, or business venture.
A group of angels entered the mix, providing George the leverage he needed to take the startup company in a new direction.
Angels seek deals that they can exit in less than a decade.
an English gold coin issued from 1470 to 1634, varying in value from 6s. 8d. to 10s. and bearing on its obverse a figure of the archangel Michael killing a dragon.
Slang. an image on a radar screen caused by a low-flying object, as a bird.
theol one of a class of spiritual beings attendant upon God. In medieval angelology they are divided by rank into nine orders: seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominations (or dominions), virtues, powers, principalities (or princedoms), archangels, and angels
a divine messenger from God
a guardian spirit
a conventional representation of any of these beings, depicted in human form with wings
informal a person, esp a woman, who is kind, pure, or beautiful
informal an investor in a venture, esp a backer of a theatrical production
Also called: angel-noble. a former English gold coin with a representation of the archangel Michael on it, first minted in Edward IV's reign
informal an unexplained signal on a radar screen
Spelling tips for angel The word angel is hard to spell for two reasons. First, it is very close in spelling to angle, as in the space between two lines that meet at a point. Second, the beginning sound [ eyn ] is not spelled the way it sounds. How to spell angel: The first letter of angel is a, not e, because Angels are Amazing. The way to remember that angel ends in an l is that both devil and angel are celestial beings, and they both end in l. Similarly, angle and line are both mathematics terms, and they both end in e.
First recorded before 950; 1890–95 angel for def. 9; Middle English a(u)ngel, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Late Latin angelus, from New Testament Greek ángelos “messenger of God,” special use of Greek ángelos “messenger” (to translate Hebrew mal'ākh ), of disputed origin, frequently connected to ángaros “Persian mounted courier,” suggesting derivation from an uncertain source possibly akin to Akkadian agâru “to hire” or egertu “letter,” Persian angareh “journal, narrative,” or Sanskrit ajira “swift”; replacing Old English engel, from Latin, as above
An angel is a messenger of God, characterized as having human form with wings and a halo. The word suggests goodness, and is often used to refer to someone who offers comfort and aid to others in times of trouble. As a child, you looked like an innocent angel; appearances can be deceiving. The word angel derives from the Greek angelos, meaning "messenger." It is used in the Bible to denote God's attendants, with angels often depicted as being guardians of humans, an idea found in ancient Asian cultures as well. The Biblical sense was continued in a medieval gold coin called an angel, which depicted the archangel Michael. The word has been applied to angel fish, so named because they appear to have wings, and nurses, often called "angels of mercy."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Crawford concluded the post by thanking photographer Sebastián Faena for taking the image of Gerber, which appears to have angel wings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
In an interview this month with the Mercury News, Gabrielle Hanson called Aurora “an angel on this earth” and said that she and her husband tried to help the girl during her asthma attack.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Sara Holoubek is the founding partner of Luminary Labs, a strategy and innovation consultancy, an independent board director and angel investor.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Andus Labs is backed by $5.7 million in angel funding and headquartered in New York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Many of the attendants seem surprised by her presence but they take their cues from Lainie, who is delighted at the sight of the living angel standing over her sister’s grave.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
So it’s unlikely any player has enjoyed this season, Angel City’s fifth in the NWSL, more than her.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Gorden missed Angel City’s inaugural season after tearing her left anterior cruciate ligament in preseason training.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
The talking heads are all too willing to critique Hurts and others like Kyrie Irving and Angel Reese, only to eat crow each time they accomplish something on the field or on the court.
From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026
After a frustrating stretch with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese was shipped to Atlanta.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Right as Joy says, “Thanks for coming; we’ll see you next month,” I lock eyes with Angel Atkins, who’s walking into Seven Baskets with her mom and brothers and sisters.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
But if you are an AI company about to launch an IPO, you say that very soon you will cure cancers, produce music only angels have heard, solve equations that have bedeviled mankind for millennia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
"There are going to be some fabulously dressed angels."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Even if one is coming, “of that day and that hour knoweth no man,” not even “the angels which are in heaven.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
I want Black angels to exist within the same spiritual realm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Powerful angels, safe in heaven! they smile when sordid souls triumph, and feeble ones weep over their destruction.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Through his second largest philanthropy, the General Education Board, he angeled Progressive Education.
From Time Magazine Archive
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