aerial

American  

[air-ee-uhl, ay-eer-ee-uhl, air-ee-uhl] / ˈɛər i əl, eɪˈɪər i əl, ˈɛər i əl /

adjective

1. of, in, or produced by the air.

   aerial currents.

2. inhabiting or frequenting the air.

   aerial creatures.

3. operating on a track or cable elevated above the ground.

   an aerial ski lift up the mountainside.

4. reaching far into the air; high; lofty.

   aerial spires.

5. partaking of the nature of air; airy.

6. unsubstantial; visionary.

   aerial fancies.

7. having a light and graceful beauty; ethereal.

   aerial music.

8. Biology. growing in the air, as the adventitious roots of some trees.

9. pertaining to or used for, against, or in aircraft.

10. supplied or performed by means of aircraft.

    aerial support; aerial reconnaissance.

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noun

• aerials
  plural

1. a radio or television antenna.

2. Football. forward pass.

aerial British  

/ ˈɛərɪəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling air

2. existing, occurring, moving, or operating in the air

   aerial cable car

   aerial roots of a plant

3. ethereal; light and delicate

4. imaginary; visionary

5. extending high into the air; lofty

6. of or relating to aircraft

   aerial combat

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noun

1. Also called: antenna. the part of a radio or television system having any of various shapes, such as a dipole, Yagi, long-wire, or vertical aerial, by means of which radio waves are transmitted or received

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aerialness
  noun
• superaerial
  adjective
• aerially
  adverb
• superaerially
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• aerials
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aerial

1595–1605; 1900–05 aerial for def. 11; < Latin āeri ( us ) of the air (< Greek āérios, equivalent to āer- (stem of āḗr air ¹ ) + -ios adj. suffix) + -al ¹

Explanation

Things that are aerial are happening in the air: birds, planes, and missiles are all aerial things. When talking about things that are literally up in the air, you can use the word aerial. If a country sends planes to bomb another country, that's an aerial attack. In football, the passing game is called the aerial game. Anything light and airy can also be called aerial, and an aerial is a device that picks up radio or TV signals: it plucks them out of the air. So when you see the word aerial, just think "air."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aerial aerials

Broadcast aerial footage showed a bomb disposal robot moving around the vans.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

In Le Havre, a war memorial leads him to reflect on his uncle’s aerial exploits in World War II and his great escapes as a pilot and a prisoner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

In recent years, both nations have deployed semi-autonomous drones in combat and are rapidly racing toward fully autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

Until recently, however, aerial microrobots have been far less nimble than the insects that inspired them.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

I was that dude walking down the street holding a giant phone to my ear with the aerial fully extended, talking to my friend.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Show your children aerials of courses from all over the world, and talk about how different courses can look along the Pacific coast, the Lowcountry of South Carolina or in the Scottish Highlands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

Heavy snow in Livigno on Tuesday morning forced a number of postponements, including the women's snowboard slopestyle final and the men's and women's aerials qualifiers in freestyle skiing.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

A medal in Milano-Cortina would emulate his mother Colette Brand, who won aerials bronze in Nagano in 1998.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

Before the aerials, the back handsprings, the 100-meter dashes and relay handoffs, these seemingly otherworldly talents are still regular people.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024

You could see lots of aerials and satellite dishes, and sometimes, right over in the distance, a glistening line that was the sea.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro