ethereal

1 of 2

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… he imagined that … she was exhaling away, and that something of her ethereal substance was withdrawn with each lessening gleam of light.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

ethereality

2 of 2

noun

ethe·​re·​al·​i·​ty ə̇ˌthirēˈalətē 

(ˌ)ēˌth-, 

eˌth-, 

-thēr-, 

-lətē, 

-i

plural -es

: the quality or state of being ethereal

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

Adjective

• spiritual
• incorporeal
• metaphysical
• supernatural

Examples of ethereal in a Sentence

Adjective

The windows give the church an ethereal glow.

that ethereal attribute that every performer should have—charisma

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Nominee Christiani Pitts walked the red carpet in an ethereal one-shoulder gown. —Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026

Nevertheless, the intimate nuptials at All Saints’ Church in Kemble, Gloucestershire, had all the hallmarks of a fairytale wedding—including an ethereal wedding dress. —Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 8 June 2026

Styled by Leith Clark, the Chloé fall 2026 ethereal number is a study in contradictions with its voluminous silhouette that leaves little to the imagination. —Diana Tsui, Footwear News, 4 June 2026

Carnivores shouldn’t miss out on Peter upstairs—a rambling dining venue perched on the 24th floor, high above the rooms, that looks like a glitzy Vegas club complete with purple accents and ethereal, Avatar-esque light sculptures. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1522, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1811, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ethereal

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

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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