1
: of or relating to painting in outdoor daylight
2
: of or relating to a branch of impressionism that attempts to represent outdoor light and air
plein air
2 of 2French adjective
: open-air : outdoor
Examples of plein air in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026
Guild members have even planned a plein air painting trip to Tuscany this summer.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
The artist for the March 13, March 11, and March 15 concerts is plein air painter Tina Druce-Hoffman.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Willis thought deeply about how people would interact in every space, particularly in the garden, designed with AD100 firm Geoponika as a sort of en plein air annex to the 1,000-square-foot home.
—Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plein air
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
What To Do For outdoor enthusiasts, the 45-acre Rozar Park offers wide open spaces to walk the dog, watch for birds, plein air paint or try your hand at one of the fishing ponds or on the 18-acre disc golf course.
—Colleen McNally Arnett, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2026
Guild members have even planned a plein air painting trip to Tuscany this summer.
—Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
The artist for the March 13, March 11, and March 15 concerts is plein air painter Tina Druce-Hoffman.
—Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Willis thought deeply about how people would interact in every space, particularly in the garden, designed with AD100 firm Geoponika as a sort of en plein air annex to the 1,000-square-foot home.
—Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plein air
Cite this Entry
“Plein air.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plein%20air. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
