ethereal

Also ae·the·re·al

[ih-theer-ee-uhl]

adjective

1. light, airy, or tenuous.

   an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.

2. extremely delicate or refined.

   ethereal beauty.

3. heavenly or celestial.

   gone to his ethereal home.

4. of or relating to the upper regions of space.

5. Chemistry.,  pertaining to, containing, or resembling ether.

ethereal

/ ɪˈθɪərɪəl /

adjective

1. extremely delicate or refined; exquisite

2. almost as light as air; impalpable; airy

3. celestial or spiritual

4. of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl ether

   an ethereal solution

5. of or relating to the ether

Other Word Forms

• ethereality noun
• etherealness noun
• ethereally adverb
• ethereous adjective
• nonethereal adjective
• nonethereally adverb
• nonetherealness noun
• nonethereality noun
• unethereal adjective
• unethereally adverb
• unetherealness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethereal¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Latin aethere(us) (from Greek aithérios ), equivalent to aether- ether + -eus adjective suffix + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ethereal¹

C16: from Latin aethereus, from Greek aitherios, from aithēr _ether

Example Sentences

She loved to paint religious, ethereal drawings, which inspired him to take up portrait photography.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

At other moments, her advice is often mystical and ethereal as she paces the space with a smile.

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The fake fisherwoman points her walking stick, and the ray of moonlight swings down toward me, almost like she is conducting an ethereal symphony with the moonlight.

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Britney Spears accepting an acting award in the midst of belting out “Lucky,” and Grande as an ethereal being singing “God Is a Woman.”

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Lying motionless on a stage draped in white fabrics, she let the album's ethereal soundscapes wash over a silent audience.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• airy 
• celestial 
• exquisite 
• ghostly 
• intangible 
• sublime