sultrier; sultriest
1
a
: very hot and humid : sweltering
a sultry day
b
: burning hot : torrid
a sultry sun
2
a
: hot with passion or anger
b
: exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire
sultry glances
Examples of sultry in a Sentence
In the one Manet Stephen owned, Young Woman Reclining in Spanish Costume (1862–1863), the plump young model provokes us with her sultry gaze, her awkward semi-recumbent position, her casually defiant cross-dressing in a male torero's shiny trousers, and the come-hither implication of her highlighted hands …
—
John Updike, New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2006
As the fireflies entertain humans all summer long with a magical light show, they are actually cruising the sultry nights in search of love. "Male fireflies fly around flashing their advertisement," says evolutionary ecologist Sara Lewis of Tufts, one of the authors of the study, which appeared in the journal Science recently.
—Betsy Mason, Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2001
In an age when the gangsta rapper is king and pubescent boy and girl groups rule the charts with a tough … version of adolescent bubble-gum pop, Toni Braxton is an anomaly. Her sultry good looks, rich, husky contralto and ability to deliver a line with such mature conviction make her seem older, more experienced than her 26 years.
—Gordon Chambers, Essence, April 1994
She looked at him with a sultry glance.
an actress with a sultry voice
John Updike, New York Review of Books, 5 Oct. 2006
As the fireflies entertain humans all summer long with a magical light show, they are actually cruising the sultry nights in search of love. "Male fireflies fly around flashing their advertisement," says evolutionary ecologist Sara Lewis of Tufts, one of the authors of the study, which appeared in the journal Science recently.
—Betsy Mason, Orlando Sentinel, 22 July 2001
In an age when the gangsta rapper is king and pubescent boy and girl groups rule the charts with a tough … version of adolescent bubble-gum pop, Toni Braxton is an anomaly. Her sultry good looks, rich, husky contralto and ability to deliver a line with such mature conviction make her seem older, more experienced than her 26 years.
—Gordon Chambers, Essence, April 1994
She looked at him with a sultry glance.
an actress with a sultry voice
Recent Examples on the Web
Or that Penélope Cruz’s sultry chilliness would jibe with either her male counterparts or Wilde’s diary-of-a-mad-housewife interpretation of a brittle, eager-to-impress woman brimming with creative frustration.
—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 June 2026
After a sultry stretch, weather conditions in parts of the Midwest and East are about to get more refreshing for the final week of the astronomical spring season.
—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
15 June 2026
The Amalfi Coast is famously sultry, comprising 13 villages that are sprinkled along a rugged shore.
—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 June 2026
Ouai Ibiza Hair and Body Mist Ouai recently added two new body mists to their lineup, and Ibiza is the sultry, cocoa and rum gourmand-leaning scent of my dreams.
—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sultry
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David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
26 June 2026
After a sultry stretch, weather conditions in parts of the Midwest and East are about to get more refreshing for the final week of the astronomical spring season.
—
Ben Noll,
Washington Post,
15 June 2026
The Amalfi Coast is famously sultry, comprising 13 villages that are sprinkled along a rugged shore.
—
Natalie Hammond,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 June 2026
Ouai Ibiza Hair and Body Mist Ouai recently added two new body mists to their lineup, and Ibiza is the sultry, cocoa and rum gourmand-leaning scent of my dreams.
—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for sultry
Cite this Entry
“Sultry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sultry. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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