Aura
1 Americannoun
noun
plural
auras, aurae-
a distinctive and pervasive quality or character; air; atmosphere.
an aura of respectability;
an aura of friendliness.
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a subtly pervasive quality or atmosphere seen as emanating from a person, place, or thing.
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Pathology. a sensation, as of lights or a current of warm or cold air, preceding an attack of migraine or epilepsy.
noun
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a distinctive air or quality considered to be characteristic of a person or thing
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any invisible emanation, such as a scent or odour
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pathol strange sensations, such as noises in the ears or flashes of light, that immediately precede an attack, esp of epilepsy
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(in parapsychology) an invisible emanation produced by and surrounding a person or object: alleged to be discernible by individuals of supernormal sensibility
Etymology
Origin of aura
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin, from Greek: “breath (of 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.
Voters in conversations across California consistently expressed pragmatic priorities focused on tangible governance challenges—traffic, housing affordability, homelessness, fire prevention, and crime—rather than entertainment value or the aura of political outsiders.
From Los Angeles Times
From the fevered brow of social media comes the tart phrase “aura farming.”
He exudes an Austin Powers–esque aura that can feel delightfully unhinged.
From Salon
The intense focus of the dozen people in the room radiates an aura of calm despite the cacophony of medical machinery beeping and pumping away.
From BBC
The Silicon Valley aura has proven elusive to GM, as it has to other automakers chasing the same strategy.
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.
