armchair

[ahrm-chair]

noun

1. a chair with sidepieces or arms to support a person's forearms or elbows.

adjective

1. theorizing without the benefit of practical experience.

   an armchair football coach.

2. participating or experiencing indirectly or vicariously.

   an armchair traveler.

armchair

/ ˈɑːmˌtʃɛə /

noun

1. a chair, esp an upholstered one, that has side supports for the arms or elbows

2. (modifier) taking no active part; lacking practical experience; theoretical

   an armchair strategist

3. (modifier) participated in away from the place of action or in the home

   armchair theatre

Word History and Origins

Origin of armchair¹

First recorded in 1625–35; arm ¹ + chair

Example Sentences

Something small jumps to the ground and rolls behind an old armchair.

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His guest slumped in one of the armchairs that faced the row of ancestral portraits in Lord Fredrick’s study.

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Finally alone, she collapsed into her usual armchair and stared at the clock.

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Penelope squirmed; sitting on a rock was not nearly as comfortable as her cozy armchair in the nursery would be.

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The next day DaCosta, 35, and Thompson, 42, are sitting in a pair of side-by-side armchairs in a hotel suite amid lights and cameras while on a break from a series of television interviews.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• recliner