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Biologists explore the effects of ambient light on plants; acoustics experts try to control ambient sound; and meteorologists study ambient pressure, air, or temperature. All this can make ambient seem like a technical term, but when it first saw light of day, that all-encompassing adjective was as likely to be used in poetry as in science. John Milton used it in Paradise Lost, and Alexander Pope wrote of a mountain "whose tow'ring summit ambient clouds conceal'd." Both poets and scientists who use ambient owe a debt to the Latin verb ambire, meaning "to go around," the grandparent of our English word.
Synonyms
Examples of ambient in a Sentence
Jeff Nelson, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024
The ambient cello and night owls are quiet, for once, and the pace, at last, rests.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2024
Additionally, one of the notable improvements over the previous model includes an automatic conversation pause feature, which means the headphones can stop the audio and turn on the ambient mic if a conversation is going on.
—Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 15 Apr. 2024
But no signs emerged of supporters objecting to the error, and the Garcia incident quickly became part of the ambient noise of a campaign that promises to get louder and uglier.
—James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
There’s also a physical volume dial for the standard Bose audio systems, and audio controls on the steering wheel
Other noteworthy interior features include a flat-bottomed steering wheel and customizable ambient lighting.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 9 Apr. 2024
Still, ambient artifacts above normal hearing range can mysteriously add air and life to music.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
These climbing vines enjoy bright, ambient light but can survive in lower light conditions as well.
—Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
Air-source models instead utilize ambient air as their source.
—Tik Root, WIRED, 30 Mar. 2024
Pamela Porter, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Mar. 2024
Reznor took this ambition further still: Individual songs are punctuated by hard-tack changes of direction—from fast, thrashing guitars and punishing drum beats, to moments of slow-burning ambient and piano interludes—becoming the sound of a mind at war with itself.
—Adam Steiner, SPIN, 8 Mar. 2024
Seamless door handles 64-color ambient lighting, a wireless smartphone charger, biometric fingerprint scanner, and illuminated door sills add to the upscale offerings.
—James Raia, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024
Instead, Yorke relies on a percussive mix of industrial, IDM, and ambient.
—Jon O'Brien, SPIN, 26 Jan. 2024
His curious solo pursuits spanned pop and ambient, the worldly and the avant-garde; his film scores earned him an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a Grammy.
—The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2024
Point the fixtures in different directions to give you both ambient and task lighting.
—Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023
Their cosmic, electronic mix of jazz and Afrobeat grew to incorporate ambient and spoken word elements on their second album, 2019’s Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, followed by The Afterlife the same year.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2023
Acropolis, with Roger Eno: 2021 Brian Eno’s brother Roger is also an accomplished artist, with more than 20 albums of his own and a handful of collaborations with Brian—including their 1983 space ambient masterpiece with Daniel Lanois, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.
—Jeff Terich, SPIN, 18 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ambient
Cite this Entry
“Ambient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambient. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ambient
adjective
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