humidity
Americannoun
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humidities
plural
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humid condition; moistness; dampness.
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an uncomfortably high amount of relative humidity.
It's not the heat, it's the humidity that tires me out.
noun
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the state of being humid; dampness
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a measure of the amount of moisture in the air See relative humidity absolute humidity
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of humidity
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English humydite, from Latin (h)ūmiditās; equivalent to humid + -ity
Compare meaning
How does humidity compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Humidity has to do with how much moisture is in the air. High humidity is a lot of moisture; low humidity is not much at all. Humidity is a word you'll hear if you watch a weather report, and it's also something people love to complain about. When it's hot and there's a lot of humidity, people sweat a lot — it's uncomfortable, sticky, and your hair is likely to frizz. When the humidity gets really high, there's going to be some rain or snow. In some parts of the country, people have a saying about yucky summer weather: "It's not the heat — it's the humidity."
Vocabulary lists containing humidity
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Physical Geography - Introductory
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Weather and Climate - Introductory
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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.
See Examples For:
“Even if it’s a couple degrees cooler ... with the humidity, it’s really going to be pretty sticky and uncomfortable,” Ciliberti said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Tiny differences in temperature, humidity, wind and atmospheric instability can determine whether a storm forms at all or where it moves.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Less than two years in, she started having daily asthma attacks, as well as headaches, dizziness, and rashes while her walls were sweating and windows were fogging up because of the humidity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
In a statement, the Truckee district said the fire was “fueled by strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
At least the heat had less bite and the humidity had dropped to tolerable levels, so I was able to hang out on the sidewalk and think about all my predicaments.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Because evaporation can occur continuously over a wide range of temperatures and humidities -- and even at night -- there are many exciting potential applications for more efficient HV devices.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 6, 2024
By dehydrating mushrooms or measuring their cooling ability at different air humidities, the researchers determined that the chilling effect stems from water evaporating from the fungi—the equivalent of sweating on a hot day.
From Science Magazine ● May 5, 2023
“It did bring rain, it did bring higher humidities, and of course that’s always a blessing when it comes to fires,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Issac Sanchez.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 10, 2022
Cooling centers sprung up across swaths of the country to provide relief from the stifling heat and high humidities.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2022
Minimum humidities were about the same for all stations, since they are affected by insolation received during the day, and not by the drainage of cold air at night.
From Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado by Charles L. Douglas
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.
