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
Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 16 May 2025
Cinema is too small a word for what this sprawling yet intimate epic achieves in its ethereal, unnerving brilliance; forget Cannes, forget the Competition, forget the whole year, even — Sound of Falling is an all-timer.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 14 May 2025
Williams’ ethereal performance last Friday of Lamentation (1930), a modern dance solo choreographed by legendary American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer Martha Graham (1894-1991) to Piano Piece, Op.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
After qualifying last year for the first time since 2016 — albeit with the contest’s most boring song — the Baltic nation has considerably upped their game with a Björk-adjacent blend of traditional folk, tribal percussion, and ethereal native chants.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 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 22 May. 2025.
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ethereal
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