ethereal

adjective

ethe·​re·​al i-ˈthir-ē-əl 

1

a

: seeming to belong to or come from another world : otherworldly

… the rise of a peaking full moon, which bathed the wild shore in an ethereal glow.

—Simon Peter Groebner

… a wood thrush sang its ethereal song.

—Taylor Piephoff

White clouds veiled the sun, and a few ethereal rays came through.

—Dhruv Khullar

b

literary : of, relating to, or suggesting heaven or the heavens

Students, to you 'tis giv'n to scan the heights / Above, to traverse the ethereal space, / And mark the systems of revolving worlds.

—Phyllis Wheatley

2

a

: lacking material substance : immaterial, intangible

The Web dwells in a never-ending present. It is—elementally—ethereal, ephemeral, unstable, and unreliable.

—Jill Lepore

… he imagined that … she was exhaling away, and that something of her ethereal substance was withdrawn with each lessening gleam of light.

—Nathaniel Hawthorne

b

: marked by unusual delicacy or refinement

ethereal elegance

writing filled with ethereal abstractions

… this smallest, most ethereal, and daintiest of birds …

—William Beebe

3

a

: of or relating to theoretical or philosophical ether

He [Aristotle] held that … the heavens revolved around the Earth in ethereal spheres …

—Henry Gee

b

: relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether

an ethereal solution

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

an ethereally beautiful image

etherealness noun

Did you know?

If you're burning to know the history of ethereal, you're in the right spirit to fully understand the 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 (in English transliteration) as either quintessence or ether. Ether was often described as an invisible light or fire; its name comes from the Greek verb aithein, meaning "to ignite" or "to blaze." When ethereal, the adjectival kin of ether, debuted in English in the 1500s, it described regions beyond the Earth or anything that seemed to originate from them.

Synonyms of ethereal

• spiritual
• incorporeal
• metaphysical
• supernatural

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

There’s an ethereal balance of actions and products. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2025

His magic isn’t numinous or ethereal. —Lev Grossman, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025

The ethereal gown featured a dazzling asymmetrical gold corset that showed off Kardashian's curves. —Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025

The ethereal structure comprises 297 stainless steel panels that had to be carefully fitted together and integrated with the curving staircases, whose wood elements evoke a ship’s deck. —Blane Bachelor, AFAR Media, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1522, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for ethereal

• arterial
• bacterial
• funereal
• imperial
• material
• sidereal
• venereal
• antibacterial
• biomaterial
• mycobacterial
• cereal
• virial

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

ethereal

adjective

ethe·​re·​al i-ˈthir-ē-əl 

1

: of or relating to the heavens : heavenly

2

: being light and airy : delicate

ethereally

-ē-ə-lē 

adverb

etherealness noun

Medical Definition

ethereal

adjective

ethe·​re·​al i-ˈthir-ē-əl 

: relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether