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airy

airy

6 3.4
Very light and delicate, often seeming to float
  • adjective
  • /ˈɛəri/
translation icon : ligero
  • Her dress was made of an airy fabric that billowed softly in the breeze.
  • light and airy

And then the bottom is just this really pretty sheer, really flowy, airy material.

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Examples

  • Her tone was airy and casual, with a flicker of a laugh behind her goodbye.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • You want something fluffy, airy, rippled with a nice textural note where you taste the egg.

  • Light and airy, for ladies who are watching their figure.

  • We'll keep it light and airy.

  • All the tremendous pressure building daily in his heart was simply gone, and he felt light and airy.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • It's so light and airy and the ceilings are so high.

  • These are ones that I get in Japan because they're just so airy and light and not heavy at all.

  • It's slightly, slightly flaky on the outside, so tender and airy on the inside.

  • At 70% rye, this bread is airy yet firm and well supports very thin slices.

    Blog text (21)
  • His cheeks were pink, and his fluffy pale hair was airy as dandelion down.

    Fiction book (1990)

Synonyms

fluffy
vsairy
77 1.0

Soft and light, like fur or feathers

is about thinness and insubstantiality rather than softness alone
ethereal
vsairy
  • Literature
22 8.8

Very light and delicate in a way that seems heavenly

is lighter and delicate but without the heavenly or perfect sense
paper-thin
vsairy
8 3.9

Very thin and easily damaged, like a sheet of paper

is similar in delicacy but less focused on extreme thinness
breathy
vsairy
8 5.7

A voice that sounds soft and has a lot of air

applies to general light or delicate things not only sounds
wispy
vsairy
7 3.8

Thin and light in form, like a small person or light cloth

is about light, delicate nature rather than mere fragility
feathery
vsairy
6 3.4

Having a light soft texture like feathers

is similar in lightness but not limited to featherlike texture
4 2.9

Soft and airy with small air pockets that make it not heavy

is broader and includes nonmaterial senses
floaty
vsairy
4 4.2

Light, soft fabric like a dress or curtains that moves easily in the air

shares that lightness but also covers delicate nonfloating cases
2 3.4

Clothes and rooms that are not heavy or tight and feel fresh and open

covers similar light delicacy but can be more abstract or poetic
aerial
vsairy
  • Literature
2 7.1

Light and delicate in a way that seems not real

is the common description of very light or delicate things
vaporous
vsairy
  • US
1 7.2

Light and not solid, like a dream fading at dawn

is more general about lightness rather than misty quality
plumy
vsairy
1 8.1

Having soft feathers like a bird's crest

is more generally about lightness, not specifically plume form
airlike
vsairy
8.2

Looks or moves like air, being light and not solid

is lighter and more delicate but not only a likeness to air
aeriform
vsairy
9.9

Very light and not solid like air

is similar but emphasizes lightness and delicacy rather than gaseous form
aery
vsairy
  • Archaic
9.9

Light and delicate, like a soft cloud

is the everyday idea of extreme lightness rather than literary tone
vapory
vsairy
  • Literature
8.8

Not clear or strong, with little real detail

keeps the idea of lightness but is less about vagueness
vaporish
vsairy
  • US
9.9

Thin and faint like a light mist

is broader, applying to lightness not only vapor likeness
tissuey
vsairy
6.7

Thin and light like tissue paper

is broader, implying insubstantiality beyond paper thinness

Antonyms

220 1.0

Full of a large amount of something and bending under it

7 5.0

About the main, basic part of something

Compounds

Clothes and rooms that are not heavy or tight and feel fresh and open

1 8.8

Not practical and too much like a dream

How Light

ethereal
  • Literature
22 8.8
airy
6 3.4
delicate
188 3.8
light
405 1.0
substantial
35 5.0

Surface Forms

airy positive

Morphology

airy = air (transparent) = air + y

Adjectival formation meaning 'having qualities of air' (light, delicate); the metaphorical extension is direct and inferable.

Etymology

Airy comes from air ('air' or 'wind') and the ending -y meaning 'full of', so it can mean 'light' or 'delicate' like something that seems to float. That's why an airy dress feels very light and soft.