humidity

[hyoo-mid-i-tee, yoo-]

noun

1. humid condition; moistness; dampness.

2. relative humidity.

3. an uncomfortably high amount of relative humidity.

   It's not the heat, it's the humidity that tires me out.

humidity

/ hjuːˈmɪdɪtɪ /

noun

1. the state of being humid; dampness

2. a measure of the amount of moisture in the air See relative humidity absolute humidity

humidity

1. The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, usually expressed as either absolute humidity or relative humidity.

humidity

1. The amount of water vapor in the air. Humidity is measured in two ways: (1) Absolute humidity is the percentage of water vapor actually present in the air. (2) Relative humidity is the absolute humidity divided by the amount of water that could be present in the air. Relative humidity indicates the degree of comfort or discomfort one feels from the humidity, because it indicates the amount of perspiration that can evaporate from the skin.

Word History and Origins

Origin of humidity¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English humydite, from Latin (h)ūmiditās; equivalent to humid + -ity

Example Sentences

Within weeks of arriving, I loathed Madras, where rats stole the padding from my earphones, the humidity left me weak and men tailed my mother in traffic, desperate to buy our imported car.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Further, unlike generative AI chatbots, these humanoids must operate in the physical world and deal with changing light, temperature, humidity and other variables.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"Originally, our setup was built to just hold a single particle, analyze its charge, and figure out how humidity changes its charges," Stöllner says.

Read more on Science Daily

I learned that oiling the blade prevents humidity from tarnishing the steel.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Still, it was the heat and humidity that proved the most disruptive elements.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• evaporation 
• moisture 

When To Use

What does humidity mean?

Humidity is the state of air when it’s full of water vapor.Humidity is the noun form of the adjective humid, which is used to describe moist air—air that’s full of water vapor.Humidity is most commonly used in reference to weather or the general climate of a place, especially when the temperature is hot.Example: The humidity here in summertime is almost unbearable.