stratosphere
the region of the upper atmosphere extending upward from the tropopause to about 30 miles (50 km) above the earth, characterized by little vertical change in temperature.
(formerly) all of the earth's atmosphere lying outside the troposphere.
any great height or degree, as the highest point of a graded scale.
Origin of stratosphere
1Other words from stratosphere
- strat·o·spher·ic [strat-uh-sfer-ik, -sfeer-], /ˌstræt əˈsfɛr ɪk, -ˈsfɪər-/, strat·o·spher·i·cal, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use stratosphere in a sentence
How could it be that this word, and not “what” or “why,” has caused a bare-knuckle brawl at such a stratospheric social level?
The skier most connected to that stratospheric rise is Bode Miller.
The Can't-Miss Sochi Showdown: Bode Miller And Ted Ligety | Jake Bright | February 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou were once middle class like us and now you are in Paris with stratospheric wealth.
Higher interest rates don't do the trick -- people didn't save more in the early 80s when interest rates were stratospheric.
Yahoo soared, and in early 2000 it was worth a stratospheric (and yes, somewhat absurd) $130 billion, which it has never matched.
Yahoo Aims to Achieve Turnaround Dream With Hire of Marissa Mayer | Zachary Karabell | July 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
In less than thirty seconds the Beam Transmitters can charge the entire stratospheric envelope of Agron.
The Instant of Now | Irving E. Cox, Jr.They could be used only defensively to girdle a single planet in the stratospheric level of its atmosphere.
The Instant of Now | Irving E. Cox, Jr.
British Dictionary definitions for stratosphere
/ (ˈstrætəˌsfɪə) /
the atmospheric layer lying between the troposphere and the mesosphere, in which temperature generally increases with height
Derived forms of stratosphere
- stratospheric (ˌstrætəˈsfɛrɪk) or stratospherical, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for stratosphere
[ străt′ə-sfîr′ ]
The region of the Earth's atmosphere extending from the tropopause to about 50 km (31 mi) above the Earth's surface. The stratosphere is characterized by the presence of ozone gas (in the ozone layer) and by temperatures which rise slightly with altitude, due to the absorption of ultraviolet radiation. See also exosphere mesosphere thermosphere troposphere. See illustration at atmosphere.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for stratosphere
[ (strat-uh-sfeer) ]
The region of the atmosphere of the Earth above the troposphere. The stratosphere begins at an altitude of seven to ten miles and extends to approximately thirty miles.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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