stratosphere

noun

strato·​sphere ˈstra-tə-ˌsfir How to pronounce stratosphere (audio)
1
: the part of the earth's atmosphere which extends from the top of the troposphere to about 30 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface and in which temperature increases gradually to about 32°F (0°C) and clouds rarely form
2
: a very high or the highest region on or as if on a graded scale
construction costs in the stratosphere
the celebrity stratosphere
stratospheric adjective
stratospherically adverb

Did you know?

The stratosphere (strato- simply means "layer" or "level") lies above the earth's weather and mostly changes very little. It contains the ozone layer, which shields us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation except where it's been harmed by manmade chemicals. The levels of the atmosphere are marked particularly by their temperatures; stratospheric temperatures rise only to around 32°—very moderate considering that temperatures in the troposphere below may descend to about -70° and those in the ionosphere above may rise to 1000°.

Examples of stratosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Though the comedian already had Girls Trip and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent under her belt, Haddish credits the Beverly Hills incident with launching her career into a new stratosphere. Shania Russell, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024 Needless to say, the first film helped launch both of them into the silver-screen stratosphere. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2024 The fight would relaunch Ali into the boxing stratosphere following his blacklisting over his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024 Munk is also associated with a startup called Space V.I.P., a luxury space-travel company that intends to take people into the upper stratosphere, eight at a time, in a capsule attached to a balloon. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stratosphere 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stratosphere.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French stratosphère, probably from stratus stratus (from the zone's layer-like character, compared to stratus clouds) + -o- -o- + -sphère -sphere

Note: The term was introduced, along with troposphère, by the French meteorologist Léon Tesserenc de Bort (1855-1913). See note at troposphere.

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stratosphere was in 1908

Dictionary Entries Near stratosphere

Cite this Entry

“Stratosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stratosphere. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

stratosphere

noun
strato·​sphere ˈstrat-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r How to pronounce stratosphere (audio)
: an upper portion of the atmosphere above the troposphere where temperature changes little and clouds rarely form

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