autumnal

adjective

au·​tum·​nal ȯ-ˈtəm-nəl 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of autumn

autumnal weather

autumnal colors

the autumnal equinox

I am often surprised to see rising amid these trees the rounded tops of apple-trees glowing with red or yellow fruit, in harmony with the autumnal tints of the forest.

—Henry David Thoreau

autumnally

ȯ-ˈtəm-nə-lē 

adverb

These days on the verge of winter were autumnally fair, struck through with warmth until the swift lengthening of the shadows.

—John Updike

Examples of autumnal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One of our favorite newcomers is Saie, which has just launched an edit of SuperSuede eye shadows in 11 delicious individual autumnal shades. — Elle Turner, Glamour, 28 Aug. 2026

Layered background sighs, a resonant lead vocal, autumnal acoustic guitar flickers, synths both eerie and trippy—James has all his tricks on tap. — Ryan Leas, Pitchfork, 28 Aug. 2026

Caramel Flan Highlights While gourmand color combinations aren’t necessary for autumnal hair palettes, Giannetos couldn’t be more spot on with this creation. — Alyssa Rotunno, InStyle, 27 Aug. 2026

The autumnal color story began with curtains from Khouri’s former Santa Monica bedroom. — Caroline Randall Williams, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin autumnālis, from autumnus autumn + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above