ethereal

adjective

ethe·re·al i-ˈthir-ē-əl

Synonyms of ethereal next

: of or relating to the regions beyond the earth

: celestial, heavenly

: unworldly, spiritual

: lacking material substance : immaterial, intangible

: marked by unusual delicacy or refinement

this smallest, most ethereal, and daintiest of birds—

William Beebe

: suggesting the heavens or heaven

: relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether

ethereality

i-ˌthir-ē-ˈa-lə-tē

noun

etherealization

i-ˌthir-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən

noun

etherealize

i-ˈthir-ē-ə-ˌlīz

transitive verb

ethereally

i-ˈthir-ē-ə-lē

adverb

etherealness noun

Did you know?

If you're burning to know the history of ethereal, you're in the right spirit to fully understand that word's etymology. The ancient Greeks believed that the Earth was composed of earth, air, fire, and water, but that the heavens and its denizens were made of a purer, less tangible substance known as either ether or quintessence. Ether was often described as an invisible light or fire, and its name derives from the Greek aithein, a verb meaning "to ignite" or "to blaze." When ethereal, the adjectival kin of ether, debuted in English in the 1500s, it referred to regions beyond the Earth or anything that seemed to originate from there.

Examples of ethereal in a Sentence

The windows give the church an ethereal glow. that ethereal attribute that every performer should have—charisma

Recent Examples on the Web Holiday Glow Up Once again, the hills of La Cañada are aglow with ethereal wonders at Descanso Gardens’ Enchanted: Forest of Light. —

David Hochman, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 Liis Lucienne With a name that means light, the ethereal fragrance has a heart of magnolia, dragonfruit, and waterlily layered under sparkling pomelo and lemon zest. —

Jenny Berg, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2023 The best is the first, Christmas Past, represented by an ethereal, girlish creature who floats around gently, like dandelion fluff. —

Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023 Beyond its cultural accolades, Bodø is also the gateway to the ethereal Lofoten Islands. —

Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2023 This week’s new country round-up features Ashley Monroe’s ethereal, dreamy new song, while Midland offers up a rendition of one of Glen Campbell’s signature songs and Bill Anderson is part of an all-star Country Music Hall of Fame lineup. —

Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 20 Nov. 2023 The space is quieter, with a more ethereal soundtrack. —

Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Maybe Jesus had been speaking about the afterlife and the more ethereal promises of heaven? —

WIRED, 13 Nov. 2023 Faithfull’s most recent recording of her own, She Walks in Beauty, featured her readings of verses by the great romantic poets with ethereal music by Warren Ellis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. —

Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2023 See More

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