aura

noun

au·​ra ˈȯr-ə 

plural auras

1

a(1)

: a distinctive quality or atmosphere that seems to surround someone or something

With its aura of secrecy … the confidential report is one of the least defensible methods of performance appraisal.

—Terry Ransworth

… the [Brontë] sisters … took measures to obscure their names and create an aura of mystery around their lives.

—Katie Palmer

(2)

slang : the quality of being impressively cool (see cool entry 1 sense 7b), charming, or appealing

Throughout social media, users are saying their favorite athletes have aura because of their effortlessly cool appearance in games.

—Dan Aulbach

… the athlete possessing the most natural aura might be the irrepressible Sha'Carri Richardson, a track phenomenon boasting a personality the size of a small planet …

—Ben Jhoty

Reading a book at a coffee shop has aura …

—@freephorming, on X (formerly Twitter)

—often used before another noun

So does someone gain aura points or lose them when they text you on Spotify?

—@svaish610, on X (formerly Twitter)

Aura is used to describe a person's general coolness or badassery while aura farming is the activities one can engage in to increase one's aura.

—Ash Parrish

b

: a subtle sensory stimulus (such as an aroma)

In my California kitchen garden, rose geranium grows … near a path, so anyone who brushes against it is briefly bathed in an aura of rose.

—Mia Amato

2

medical : a subjective (see subjective entry 1 sense 4b) sensation (as of voices, colored lights, or crawling and numbness) experienced at the onset of a neurological condition and especially a migraine or epileptic seizure

Auras can last from a few seconds to several minutes. They take many forms, from particular tastes or odors to eerie sensations of tingling …

—Alan Newman

3

: an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being

Consider having your aura and chakras read over tea in Bali …

—Renee Blodgett

… a New Age shaman trying to determine the colour of their aura.

—Cherie Gilmour

4

: a luminous radiation : nimbus

Many paintings show him with a halo or golden aura, signifying his divine presence …

—Emma Jones

Did you know?

Slang Meaning of Aura

Aura also is used to mean “stylishness” or “confident and suave excellence.” Learn more >

Synonyms of aura

• atmosphere
• smell
• aroma
• air
• ambience
• sense
• flavor

Examples of aura in a Sentence

the monastery perched high on a mountaintop had an aura of unreality and mystery about it

alternative medical treatments that rely on the practitioner's ability to detect a patient's aura

Recent Examples on the Web

These ghosts, which take the form of their dead friends, are mostly just goofy, with the shoddy special effects and glowy auras giving the whole thing a distinctly Haunted Mansion vibe; critically, the threat never feels real, which undermines any tension. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

Erivo followed suit with the dark glamour aura. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 10 Nov. 2025

Per AccuWeather, experts also recommend that aura-watchers allow their eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness and avoid looking at bright light sources, such as the moon or phone screens. —Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 6 Nov. 2025

Extra is luxury armor for the nightlife set, a sharp, sexy aura of pepper, leather, and floral steel. —Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, puff of air, breeze, from Greek; probably akin to Greek aēr air

First Known Use

1732, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing aura

• aura farming
• aura points

Rhymes for aura

• bora
• cora
• flora
• fora
• gora
• hora
• kora
• laura
• lora
• mora
• ora
• torah

Kids Definition

aura

noun

au·​ra ˈȯr-ə 

: a special quality or impression associated with something

an aura of mystery

Medical Definition

aura

noun

au·​ra ˈȯr-ə 

plural auras also aurae -ē 

: a subjective sensation (as of voices or colored lights or crawling and numbness) experienced at the onset of a neurological condition and especially a migraine or epileptic seizure

About 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience an aura as the first symptom of an attack. The aura may be a pulsing star of light, or a dance of geometric forms across the visual field, sometimes turning into hallucinations …

—Natalie Angier, The New York Times

The migraine aura, which consists of episodes of well-defined, transient, focal neurologic dysfunction, develops over the course of more than 4 minutes and usually lasts no more than 60 minutes.

—Sid Gilman, The New England Journal of Medicine

The aura is due to electrical activity originating from the seizure focus and thus represents the earliest manifestations of a partial seizure.

—Gary L. Westbrook, in Principles of Neural Science, 4th edition