auroral
AmericanOther Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of auroral
First recorded in 1545–55; auror(a) ( def. ) + -al 1
Explanation
An aurora is an astronomical phenomenon, when colored lights seem to shimmer in the sky. Auroral refers to that display––you might describe it as a show of auroral light. The best known aurora is the aurora borealis, otherwise known as the northern lights. If you ever have trouble with auroral, try to remember Fozzie Bear's summation of the impossible from a line in the "Muppet Movie": "The aurora borealis/shining down in Dallas/Can you picture that?"
Vocabulary lists containing auroral
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.
By analyzing its glow, the team created the most detailed maps ever produced of temperatures and charged particle densities within Saturn's auroral region.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2026
Webb detected two bright auroral bands near the planet's magnetic poles.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2026
The aurora is always present around the North and South Poles - this is known as the auroral ring.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2025
Skies as far south as Cornwall were lit up by the auroral display.
From BBC • Aug. 13, 2024
McAuliffe had peered beneath the animal's neck, and, as the auroral lights shot for an instant into brilliancy, his eyes fell, for a breath only, upon that face, that figure.
From Menotah A Tale of the Riel Rebellion by Henham, Ernest G.
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.
