DictionaryAI

ethereal

Sayi-THEER-ee-uhl/ɪˈθɪɚ.i.əl/UK/ɪˈθɪə.ɹɪ.əl//iˈθɪə̯.ri.əl/

4 meanings of ethereal

Practice

  1. 1
    delicateadjective
    Very light, soft and delicate, almost like a spirit.

    The dancer moved across the stage with ethereal grace.

    The thin white curtains made the room look soft and ethereal.

    UsageSay ethereal music or ethereal light.

    Similarairy, delicate, light, insubstantial, tenuous

    Oppositeheavy, solid, substantial

    Note
  2. 2
    spirit worldadjective
    Belonging to the world that cannot be touched or seen, often pictured as the sky or heaven.

    In the story, the ghosts live in an ethereal world far above the clouds.

    Many old songs describe heaven as an ethereal place of light and peace.

    Similarheavenly, celestial, spiritual, unearthly, otherworldly

    Oppositeearthly, corporeal

    Note
  3. 3
    upper airadjective
    About the sky high above the earth, or about an invisible air thought to fill all of space.

    Ancient thinkers believed an ethereal substance filled the space between the stars.

    Scientists long ago believed that light moved through an ethereal substance filling all of space.

    Similaretheric

    Oppositeearthly

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    noun
    Short for ethereal wave: a dreamy kind of dark music that grew out of gothic rock.

Practice

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Origin

From Latin and Greek words meaning "of the upper air" or "of the sky".

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 1 fact

  • Ethereal derives from Latin and Greek words meaning pertaining to the upper air or sky. en.wiktionary.org