ethereal
adjective
William Beebe
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.
Examples of ethereal in a Sentence
AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
The ethereal pop anthem, which channels, and was later championed by, Lana Del Rey, also felt like a hit.
—Mike Wass, Variety, 9 July 2025
More than 1,000 wildly different plant species essentially live side-by-side, including a rare ethereal white plant called the ghost pipe and multiple species of carnivorous plants.
—Robert Annis, Outside Online, 3 July 2025
The 28-year-old trades her ethereal R&B sound for a lean into alternative female rage.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 1 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ethereal
Cite this Entry
“Ethereal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethereal. Accessed 31 Jul. 2025.
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ethereal
adjective
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ethereal
adjective
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