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• plein air
  plein air

  noun

  the open air, especially the daylight of outdoors.
• plein-air
  plein-air

  adjective

  pertaining to a manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, characterized by the representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere as contrasted with the artificial light and absence of the sense of air or atmosphere associated with paintings produced in the studio.

plein air

¹ American  

[pleyn air, ple ner] / ˈpleɪn ˈɛər, plɛ ˈnɛr /

noun

1. the open air, especially the daylight of outdoors.

2. Fine Arts. the quality of light and atmosphere out of doors, especially this quality as rendered in painting.

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plein-air ² American  

[pleyn-air, ple-ner] / ˌpleɪnˈɛər, plɛˈnɛr /

adjective

1. pertaining to a manner or style of painting developed chiefly in France in the mid-19th century, characterized by the representation of the luminous effects of natural light and atmosphere as contrasted with the artificial light and absence of the sense of air or atmosphere associated with paintings produced in the studio.

2. designating a painting executed out of doors and representing a direct response to the scene or subject in front of the artist.

3. (of a painting) having the qualities of air and natural light.

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plein-air British  

/ ˌpleɪnˈɛərɪst, plɛnɛr, ˌpleɪnˈɛə /

adjective

1. of or in the manner of various French 19th-century schools of painting, esp impressionism, concerned with the observation of light and atmosphere effects outdoors

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Other Word Forms

• plein-airism
  noun
• plein-airist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of plein air¹

1890–95; < French: literally, full air

Origin of plein-air²

First recorded in 1890–95; adj. use of plein air

Example Sentences

The species later returned to its lighter markings after clean air laws helped reduce pollution from the 1960s onwards.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

Last June, the South Coast Air Quality Management District received more than 20,000 comments opposing a pair of clean air rules that would have prevented 2,500 premature deaths and 10,000 new cases of asthma.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Its client list includes Sempra, the parent company of SoCalGas, which opposed the clean air standards, which would have encouraged the sale of pollution-free heat pumps and threatened the utility’s business.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The team at Queen Mary University of London have shown that levels of air pollution in the blood come back down after about two hours of breathing clean air.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026

Take in clean air before I speak again.

From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell