aerial

adjective

ae·​ri·​al ˈer-ē-əl 

ā-ˈir-ē-əl

1

a

: of, relating to, or occurring in the air or atmosphere

the aerial acrobatics of circus performers

b

: existing or growing in the air rather than in the ground or in water

aerial plants

c(1)

: high in the air

aerial spires

(2)

: capable of being raised high in the air

The hydraulic aerial platform can accommodate up to five firefighters and even a wheelchair.

—Allan Stein

see also aerial ladder

d

: operating or operated overhead on elevated cables or rails

an aerial tram

2

: suggestive of air: such as

a

: lacking substance

aerial distinctions

b

: fanciful, ethereal

… visions of aerial joy …

—P. B. Shelley

3

a

: of or relating to aircraft

aerial navigation

aerial combat

b

: designed for use in, taken from, or operating from or against aircraft

aerial photographs/photography

c

: effected by means of aircraft

aerial transportation

a city subjected to aerial bombardment

aerial views

aerial spraying

4

American football : of, relating to, or gained by the forward pass

aerial touchdowns

a team known for its aerial attack

aerially

ˈer-ē-ə-lē 

ā-ˈir-ē-ə-lē

adverb

Did you know?

Shakespeare himself may have coined this word, in Othello, and later he gave the name Ariel to the famous air-spirit character in The Tempest. An aerialist is an acrobat who performs high above the audience. In painting, aerial perspective is the way an artist creates the illusion that a mountain or city is far away (something that early painters only slowly learned how to do), usually by making it slightly misty and bluish gray—as if seen through miles of air. An aerial work platform, or "cherry picker", supports a worker at a high elevation on the end of a crane. And aerial itself can be used as a noun, meaning a TV antenna, a forward pass in football, or a high-flying stunt performed by a skateboarder or snowboarder.

Examples of aerial in a Sentence

the spectacular aerial acrobatics of the circus performers

Recent Examples on the Web

Their aerial assault was paced by quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon in addition to offensive coordinator and future NFL head coach Todd Monken. —Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026

The company revealed that the fuze upgrades launch platforms into low-cost, effective counter-unmanned aerial system weapons to enhance reliable detonation at the optimal impact. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026

Israel also quietly deployed an Iron Dome aerial defense battery to the UAE – and the troops to operate it – during the war with Iran, first reported by Axios, as well as other defense systems. —Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 June 2026

McCollum said the system is intended to help officers identify potential aerial threats and respond before drones reach restricted areas. —Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin āerius (borrowed from Greek āérios, derivative of āer-, aḗr air entry 1) + -al entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1545, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing aerial

• aerial ladder
• aerial perspective
• unidentified aerial phenomenon

Rhymes for aerial

• actuarial
• adversarial
• secretarial
• urticarial
• antimalarial
• areal
• ariel
• burial
• biserial
• filarial
• malarial
• subaerial

Kids Definition

aerial

1 of 2 adjective

ae·​ri·​al ˈar-ē-əl 

ˈer-

1

a

: of, relating to, or occurring in the air or atmosphere

an aerial display on a trapeze

b

: living or growing in the air rather than on the ground or in water

c

: running on cables or rails that are raised above the ground

an aerial railway

2

a

: of or relating to aircraft

aerial navigation

b

: designed for use in, taken from, or operating from aircraft

aerial photograph

aerially

-ē-ə-lē

adverb

aerial

2 of 2 noun

1

: antenna sense 2

2

: forward pass