ethereal

adjective ethe·re·al \ i-ˈthir-ē-əl \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of ethereal

1 a : of or relating to the regions beyond the earth

b : celestial, heavenly

c : unworldly, spiritual

2 a : lacking material substance : immaterial, intangible

b : marked by unusual delicacy or refinement

this smallest, most ethereal, and daintiest of birds
—William Beebe

c : suggesting the heavens or heaven

3 : relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether

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ethereality

play \i-ˌthir-ē-ˈa-lə-tē\ noun

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etherealization

play \i-ˌthir-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən\ noun

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etherealize

play \i-ˈthir-ē-ə-ˌlīz\ transitive verb

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ethereally

play \i-ˈthir-ē-ə-lē\ adverb

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etherealness

noun

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ethereal was our Word of the Day on 12/19/2011. Hear the podcast!

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 of ethereal from the Web

King became safe and ethereal, registering as a noble moralist.

— time staff, Time, "10 Historians on What People Still Don't Know About Martin Luther King Jr.," 4 Apr. 2018
Their ethereal vocals and atmospheric textures were complemented by a gorgeous light show with colorful lasers slicing through the desert sky.

— ed masley, azcentral, "Concerts in April in Phoenix 2018: Phoenix Lights, Country Thunder, 5 Seconds of Summer, UFEST," 2 Apr. 2018
Folks in western Arizona were caught breathless by these ethereal clouds shimmering over Quartzsite this week.

— kathryn prociv, Washington Post, "Extremely rare, colorful nighttime clouds shine over Arizona," 30 Mar. 2018
The sounds are primal and ethereal; rooted in nature yet otherworldly, as if banshees are conniving with angels.

— jeffrey fleishman, latimes.com, "Voices of the City: Experimental vocalist Carmina Escobar uses her voice to explore herself and others," 29 Mar. 2018
Nightmarish and ethereal, King Woman is the rare metal band to transcend its genre with a doomgaze sound that tempers the weight of Black Sabbath with the introspection of Mazzy Star.

— zack ruskin, San Francisco Chronicle, "Kristina Esfandiari’s path to King Woman was a painful one," 28 Mar. 2018
Winged out past the outer edges of her eyes, the sooty look adds a bit of drama (perhaps witchiness?) to her ethereal and starry hairstyle.

— rachel jacoby zoldan, Teen Vogue, "Lana Del Rey Wears Halo Headband to Grammys 2018," 28 Jan. 2018
Their ethereal vocals and atmospheric textures were complemented by a gorgeous light show with colorful lasers slicing through the desert sky.

— ed masley, azcentral, "Best spring concerts in Phoenix 2018: Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake," 21 Mar. 2018
Whether speeding and distorted or slow and ethereal, the Messthetics have a remarkable cohesion.

— giovanni russonello, New York Times, "To Make the Messthetics, Mix a Reunion With One Virtuosic Newcomer," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ethereal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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 adjective kin of "ether," debuted in English in the 1500s, it referred specifically to regions beyond the Earth, but it gradually came to refer to anything heavenly or airy.