Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
ethereal [ih-theer-ee-uh l] ExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for ethereal on Thesaurus.com adjective
- light, airy, or tenuous: an ethereal world created through the poetic imagination.
- extremely delicate or refined: ethereal beauty.
- heavenly or celestial: gone to his ethereal home.
- of or relating to the upper regions of space.
- Chemistry. pertaining to, containing, or resembling ethyl ether.
Also ae·the·re·al (for defs 1–4). Origin of ethereal 1505–15; Latin aethere(us) (Greek aithérios), equivalent to aether- ether + -eus adj. suffix + -al1 Related formse·the·re·al·i·ty, e·the·re·al·ness, noune·the·re·al·ly, adverbe·the·re·ous, adjectivenon·e·the·re·al, adjectivenon·e·the·re·al·ly, adverbnon·e·the·re·al·ness, nounnon·e·the·re·al·i·ty, nounun·e·the·re·al, adjectiveun·e·the·re·al·ly, adverbun·e·the·re·al·ness, noun Related Words for ethereal celestial, intangible, exquisite, ghostly, airy, sublime, aerial, dainty, divine, empyrean, fairy, filmy, fine, gaseous, gossamer, impalpable, insubstantial, light, rarefied, refined Examples from the Web for ethereal Contemporary Examples of ethereal
Bitcoin began 2013 with a roaring price of $770 per unit, and businesses right and left were converting to the ethereal product.
You Were Wrong About Miley & Bitcoin: 2014’s Failed Predictions
Nina Strochlic
December 31, 2014
One skeleton in particular has become famous for the brutal way she died and the ethereal way her body was preserved.
The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors
Nina Strochlic
August 14, 2014
C, lastly, I just think [Perritaz] has a natural taste for purity, delicacy, and ethereal balance.
Wine, Watch Out! These Ciders Are Just as Good
Jordan Salcito
July 19, 2014
I remember telling people at the time, ‘This kid is so ethereal and interesting.’
The Making of ‘Boyhood’: Richard Linklater’s 12-Year Journey to Create An American Masterpiece
Marlow Stern
July 10, 2014
They will return, Eve says, and in the meanwhile they have an ethereal beauty.
Can Hollywood Rejuvenate Detroit and America’s Bankrupt Cities?
David Levesley
May 15, 2014
Historical Examples of ethereal
Deep were my musings, as to the race and attributes of that ethereal being.
The Vision of the Fountain (From “Twice Told Tales”)
Nathaniel Hawthorne
She waved her hand to Edgar Vaughan, with a gesture of ethereal triumph.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
She had all the ethereal beauty of the saints relieved from their bodies.
Emile Zola
We start off in pursuit of them in an ethereal heaven, in the infinite of our dreams.
Sarah Bernhardt
Few of the flowers merely meant for ornament are so ethereal as a potato.
G. K. Chesterton
British Dictionary definitions for ethereal ethereal adjective
- extremely delicate or refined; exquisite
- almost as light as air; impalpable; airy
- celestial or spiritual
- of, containing, or dissolved in an ether, esp diethyl etheran ethereal solution
- of or relating to the ether
Derived Formsethereality or etherealness, nounethereally, adverbWord Origin for ethereal C16: from Latin aethereus, from Greek aitherios, from aithēr ether Word Origin and History for ethereal adj.
1510s, “of the highest regions of the atmosphere,” from ether + -al (1); extended sense of “light, airy” is from 1590s. Meaning “spiritlike, immaterial” is from 1640s. Related: Ethereally.
ethereal in Medicine ethereal [ĭ-thîr′ē-əl] adj.
- Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible.
- Of, relating to, or containing ether.
Related formse•the′re•al′i•ty (-ăl′ĭ-tē) null n.e•the′re•al•ly adv.