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 3French adjective
: open-air : outdoor
variants
or pleinairiste
-ēst
plural -s
: an adherent or follower of a theory, method, or practice of plein air painting
Examples of plein air in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
For seven days, plein air painters celebrate the area's tradition of outdoor painting.
—
Madeline Weinfield,
Southern Living,
27 May 2026
The 50-room property replaces screen time with llama trekking, whitewater rafting, wood burning, candle making and plein air painting.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
The city comptroller has launched an investigation into City Hall’s handing of outdoor dining permits, raising concerns about procedural holdups that could be preventing hundreds of restaurants from opening up en plein air seating this spring.
—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
14 May 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
The top sale of the day was by—who else—Hauser & Wirth, which sold Pablo Picasso’s 1963 painting en plein air for an impressive $35 million.
—
Devorah Lauter,
ARTnews.com,
16 June 2026
For seven days, plein air painters celebrate the area's tradition of outdoor painting.
—
Madeline Weinfield,
Southern Living,
27 May 2026
The 50-room property replaces screen time with llama trekking, whitewater rafting, wood burning, candle making and plein air painting.
—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
The city comptroller has launched an investigation into City Hall’s handing of outdoor dining permits, raising concerns about procedural holdups that could be preventing hundreds of restaurants from opening up en plein air seating this spring.
—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
14 May 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 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
