sultrier; sultriest
1
a
: very hot and humid : sweltering
a sultry day
b
: burning hot : torrid
a sultry sun
2
a
: hot with passion or anger
b
: exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire
sultry glances
Examples of sultry in a Sentence
In the one Manet Stephen owned, Young Woman Reclining in Spanish Costume (1862–1863), the plump young model provokes us with her sultry gaze, her awkward semi-recumbent position, her casually defiant cross-dressing in a male torero's shiny trousers, and the come-hither implication of her highlighted hands …
—
John Updike, New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2006
As the fireflies entertain humans all summer long with a magical light show, they are actually cruising the sultry nights in search of love. "Male fireflies fly around flashing their advertisement," says evolutionary ecologist Sara Lewis of Tufts, one of the authors of the study, which appeared in the journal Science recently.
—Betsy Mason, Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2001
In an age when the gangsta rapper is king and pubescent boy and girl groups rule the charts with a tough … version of adolescent bubble-gum pop, Toni Braxton is an anomaly. Her sultry good looks, rich, husky contralto and ability to deliver a line with such mature conviction make her seem older, more experienced than her 26 years.
—Gordon Chambers, Essence, April 1994
She looked at him with a sultry glance.
an actress with a sultry voice
John Updike, New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2006
As the fireflies entertain humans all summer long with a magical light show, they are actually cruising the sultry nights in search of love. "Male fireflies fly around flashing their advertisement," says evolutionary ecologist Sara Lewis of Tufts, one of the authors of the study, which appeared in the journal Science recently.
—Betsy Mason, Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2001
In an age when the gangsta rapper is king and pubescent boy and girl groups rule the charts with a tough … version of adolescent bubble-gum pop, Toni Braxton is an anomaly. Her sultry good looks, rich, husky contralto and ability to deliver a line with such mature conviction make her seem older, more experienced than her 26 years.
—Gordon Chambers, Essence, April 1994
She looked at him with a sultry glance.
an actress with a sultry voice
Recent Examples on the Web
On Friday, Swift embraced a sultry style for a night out with Travis Kelce in Manhattan.
—Violet Goldstone, WWD, 15 Oct. 2024
The sultry yet intoxicating track feels like something out of the PartyNextDoor or Bryson Tiller playbook with Joeyy’s melodic sauce bringing the steamy composition to another level.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2024
Hudson adorned her black custom dress by La Roxx with sheer detailing alongside diamond-dangling earrings by Anaya, a studded diamond collar, and a sultry smokey eye, keeping the look dark.
—Essence, 7 Oct. 2024
Things get steamy upon Venus’ debut in Scorpio, activating your sultry eighth house of intimate affairs.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sultry 
Violet Goldstone, WWD, 15 Oct. 2024
The sultry yet intoxicating track feels like something out of the PartyNextDoor or Bryson Tiller playbook with Joeyy’s melodic sauce bringing the steamy composition to another level.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2024
Hudson adorned her black custom dress by La Roxx with sheer detailing alongside diamond-dangling earrings by Anaya, a studded diamond collar, and a sultry smokey eye, keeping the look dark.
—Essence, 7 Oct. 2024
Things get steamy upon Venus’ debut in Scorpio, activating your sultry eighth house of intimate affairs.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sultry
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sultry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Sultry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultry. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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