ethereal
Americanadjective
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light, airy, or tenuous.
an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
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extremely delicate or refined.
ethereal beauty.
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heavenly or celestial.
gone to his ethereal home.
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of or relating to the upper regions of space.
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Chemistry. pertaining to, containing, or resembling ether.
adjective
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extremely delicate or refined; exquisite
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almost as light as air; impalpable; airy
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celestial or spiritual
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of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl ether
an ethereal solution
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of or relating to the ether
Other Word Forms
- ethereality noun
- ethereally adverb
- etherealness noun
- ethereous adjective
- nonethereal adjective
- nonethereality noun
- nonethereally adverb
- nonetherealness noun
- unethereal adjective
- unethereally adverb
- unetherealness noun
Etymology
Origin of ethereal
First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin aethere(us) (from Greek aithérios ), equivalent to aether- ether + -eus adjective suffix + -al 1
Explanation
Something ethereal is airy and insubstantial, like a ghostly figure at the top of the stairs. This word can also describe something delicate and light, like a singer’s ethereal voice. Ethereal comes from the Greek word for ether, which means “air” or more specifically “the upper regions of space.” An ethereal substance or sound is one that carries the feeling of light and air — something you might see in a vision that strikes you as heavenly or supernatural.
Vocabulary lists containing ethereal
Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 2
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ACT Vocabulary List
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The Scarlet Letter
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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.
The lyrics were eerie and ethereal: “Who can say where the road goes? Where the day flows? Only time”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
As Wenger wrote in 1990: "Akangbe, bodily and spiritually voluminous, creates works of an ethereal, sublimely weightless loftiness. His work is a primary eruption of genius."
From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026
A recurring song, “Stranger” by Sweden’s Anna von Hausswolff, creates an ethereal, floating sensation like one of the oddest Lana Del Rey compositions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
Levito was second in the free skate with an ethereal performance to the music of "Cinema Paradiso" that put her third overall on 224.45 points.
From Barron's • Jan. 10, 2026
They moved on up the line, ethereal, untouched.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
