azalea

American  

[uh-zeyl-yuh] / əˈzeɪl jə /

noun

azaleas plural

1. any of numerous shrubs belonging to a particular group (Azalea) of the genus Rhododendron, of the heath family, comprising species with handsome flower clusters of various colors, some of which are familiar in cultivation: the group was formerly the botanical genus Azalea but is now a horticultural classification.

---

azalea British  

/ əˈzeɪljə /

noun

1. any ericaceous plant of the group Azalea, formerly a separate genus but now included in the genus Rhododendron: cultivated for their showy pink or purple flowers

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• azaleas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of azalea

1750–60; < New Latin < Greek azaléa, noun use of feminine of azaléos dry; so named because it grows in dry soil

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

azalea azaleas

Still, Pyongyang has touted Jindallae -- "azalea" in Korean -- as a convenient way for citizens to stay connected, albeit through a strictly controlled domestic network.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

Mr. P and his previous partner, the First Lady, nested in 2014 in an 80-foot tall tulip poplar in the azalea area of the arboretum.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2023

“I butchered an azalea he told me to prune. He was trying to tell me it’s OK,” Richardson chuckles as she thinks back, “but I saw the veins in his neck were strained.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2022

He even had to take a left-handed swing at the 13th after knocking his ball onto the pine straw behind the green, right up next to an azalea.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2022

Off to one side Mr. Huffer stood next to a twiggy, water-starved azalea and posed like his usual wilted teapot self.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

He believes he will get it done among the azaleas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

Roman Ivannikov has spent around 30 years pampering orchids, azaleas and figs at Ukraine's National Botanical Garden, but power cuts triggered by Russian strikes are threatening to freeze his cherished collection of tropical plants.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

The azaleas are at the end of their run, but were extra spectacular this year.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2025

Miraculously, the fire barely touched the area of the nursery where thousands of potted camellias and azaleas were ready for sale under a breezy wood-lathe framework covered by shade cloth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025

The azaleas were finished now, the petals lay brown and crinkled on the moss.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier