atmosphere

American  

[at-muhs-feer] / ˈæt məsˌfɪər /

noun

• atmospheres
  plural

1. the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth; the air.

   a weather balloon rising high into the atmosphere.

2. this medium at a given place.

   the warm, dry atmosphere of the Joshua tree's natural environment.

3. Astronomy. the gaseous envelope surrounding a heavenly body.

   The white ovals seen in Saturn's atmosphere could be intense storms.

4. Chemistry. any gaseous envelope or medium.

   The ether was treated with a sulfate in an atmosphere of coal gas.

5. a conventional unit of pressure, the normal pressure of the air at sea level, about 14.7 pounds per square inch (101.3 kilopascals), equal to the pressure exerted by a column of mercury 29.92 inches (760 millimeters) high. atm.

6. a surrounding or pervading mood, environment, or influence.

   an atmosphere of impending war;

   a very tense atmosphere.

7. the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel.

   the chilly atmosphere of a ghost story.

8. a distinctive quality, as of a place; character.

   The old part of town has lots of atmosphere.

9. Radio, Television, Movies. Also atmospheres, atmos the background sound that is present, or would naturally be present, in the location where a recording or broadcast is made, often recorded as a separate track and then mixed; ambient sound.

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verb (used with object)

atmosphered, atmosphering

1. to give an atmosphere to.

   The author had cleverly atmosphered the novel for added chills.

atmosphere British  

/ ˈætməsˌfɪə /

noun

1. the gaseous envelope surrounding the earth or any other celestial body See also troposphere stratosphere mesosphere ionosphere

2. the air or climate in a particular place

   the atmosphere was thick with smoke

3. a general pervasive feeling or mood

   an atmosphere of elation

4. the prevailing tone or mood of a novel, symphony, painting, or other work of art

5. a special mood or character associated with a place

6. any local gaseous environment or medium

   an inert atmosphere

7. Abbreviation: at, atm. a unit of pressure; the pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 mm high at 0°C at sea level. 1 atmosphere is equivalent to 101 325 newtons per square metre or 14.72 pounds per square inch

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atmosphere Scientific  

/ ăt′mə-sfîr′ /

1. The mixture of gases surrounding the Earth or other celestial body, held in place by gravity. It forms distinct layers at different heights. The Earth's atmosphere consists, in ascending order, of the troposphere (containing 90% of the atmosphere's mass), the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere. The atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen (78%) and oxygen (21%) and plays a major role in the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle.

2. See more at exosphere mesosphere stratosphere thermosphere troposphere

3. A unit of pressure equal to the pressure of the air at sea level, about 14.7 pounds per square inch, or 1,013 millibars.

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atmosphere Cultural  

1. The blanket of gas on the surface of a planet or satellite.

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Discover More

The atmosphere of the Earth is roughly eighty percent nitrogen and twenty percent oxygen, with traces of other gases. (See ionosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere.)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• atmosphereless
  adjective
• atmospheric
  adjective
• atmospherically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• atmospheres
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of atmosphere

From the New Latin word atmosphaera, dating back to 1630–40. See atmo-, -sphere

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Explanation

An atmosphere is a surrounding environment or influence. If you and your coworkers talk behind each other's backs, you will create a nasty atmosphere at work. Atmosphere was coined by 17th-century scientists combining the Greek words for vapor, atmos, and sphere, sphaira. The earth's atmosphere is the air and gas surrounding our planet. Atmosphere also describes the feeling of a place. A coffee shop might have a cool, artsy atmosphere. Some plants grow best in a damp atmosphere. In physics, atmosphere is a unit of pressure equal to the air pressure at sea level.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

atmosphere atmospheres atmosphered

This year's El Nino, a pattern of warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific that has ripple effects through the atmosphere, is exceptionally strong and could be amplifying those waves.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

As richer veins have been depleted, thinner seams are dug, with more rock being ground up and more silica being released into the atmosphere surrounding the workers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

The atmosphere in the room was calm despite pockets of disorder - things seemed generally under control.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

As 808 kicks echo through the atmosphere, the pair is transported back to 1987: the night they fell in love at a bass-thumping freestyle show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

The days were long and the atmosphere tense.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

The Next Generation Very Large Array, an observatory currently under development, is expected to make detailed studies of nearby stars and their atmospheres much easier.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026

James Webb's extraordinary sensitivity has already enabled scientists to investigate alien atmospheres using a method called eclipse mapping.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Obtaining these measurements requires instruments capable of distinguishing extremely fine details in the light collected from distant planetary atmospheres.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

"This advancing capability opens an entirely new dimension in our study of exoplanet atmospheres."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

The weight of how many atmospheres is above me now?

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Eric Ambler led a school during the United Front period of the '30s with wonderfully atmosphered thrillers in which the heroes, or their allies, were Soviet security men.

From Time Magazine Archive

It had atmosphered itself with rich perfume, and something far richer, for three thousand miles.

From Among the Forces by Henry White Warren

Not after all the other new Earths, freezing cold or methane atmosphered or at best completely waterless.

From The First Day of Spring by Mari Wolf

Or rather, it left its ghosts behind it, ever shifting forms and shadows, each atmosphered in its own ethereal mood.

From Weighed and Wanting by George MacDonald

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Related Words

• air
• ambience
• aura
• character
• climate
• color
• environment
• feel
• feeling
• flavor
• mood
• place
• quality
• scene
• sense
• space
• spirit
• surroundings
• taste
• tone

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