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ethereal

ethereal

22 8.8
Very light and delicate in a way that seems heavenly
  • adjective
  • /ɪˈθɪəriəl/
  • Literature
translation icon : etéreo
  • Your gentle Xanetia is an ethereal, unworldly sort of person, hardly more than a girl.
  • ethereal realm
  • become ethereal

They have to say it with that ethereal, breathy, condescending tone.

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Examples

  • I was entranced by the sight of her; she almost looked ethereal, so frail.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • "The woman was beautiful, ethereal, with a singularly musical voice, backlit by a golden glow."

    Fiction book (1992)
  • It's just like this really ethereal looking garden.

  • The second exposure adds an ethereal quality to the overall image.

    Academic text (1999)
  • It's very, very ethereal, gentle, flowing music.

  • The colors were so sort of ethereal and felt like an enchanted garden.

  • High, pronounced cheekbones gave her face an ethereal, elegant quality far beyond her years.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Below us, the cave narrows into an ethereal blue glowing tube that continues down for another several hundred feet.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The dancer moved with an ethereal grace that made her seem otherworldly.

  • The sunset created an ethereal glow, washing the sky in shades of pink and gold.

Synonyms

exquisite
vsethereal
105 5.5

Very beautiful, delicate, and well made, like a piece of jewelry

carries more of a supernatural or otherworldly quality beyond refined beauty
breathtaking
vsethereal
77 3.5

A very beautiful and surprising sight that amazes you

is subtler, focusing on delicate, almost unreal beauty rather than sheer impact
otherworldly
vsethereal
  • Literature
36 7.8

Seeming to come from another world and very strange

is more about fragile, heavenly perfection and less about strangeness
heavenly
vsethereal
29 3.4

Extremely pleasant and giving great comfort

is lighter and more fragile in tone, not only pleasant or delightful
celestial
vsethereal
  • Literature
23 6.9

From heaven or like a god, not of this world

is less about divine origin and more about fragile, airy perfection
airy
vsethereal
6 3.4

Very light and delicate, often seeming to float

adds a sense of heavenly perfection beyond mere lightness
2 6.1

Very beautiful in a sad or mysterious way that stays in your mind

is gentler, stressing delicate, heavenly perfection rather than emotional mystery
aerial
vsethereal
  • Literature
2 7.1

Light and delicate in a way that seems not real

adds an extra sense of unearthly beauty beyond mere intangibility
etheric
vsethereal
  • Jargon
1 9.8

Light and delicate with a feeling of something not physical

is less technical and focuses more on appearing perfectly heavenly to observers
elysian
vsethereal
  • Literature
1 9.9

Very beautiful and peaceful like heaven

adds a lighter, more airy sense of being otherworldly rather than only idyllic
supernal
vsethereal
  • Literature
1 9.9

Having a beautiful, heavenly look or sound that feels holy

has a gentler, delicate feel rather than explicit divinity
gossamer
vsethereal
1 8.6

Very light and delicate like a thin cloth or spider web

is more about seeming otherworldly or perfectly delicate rather than fabric thinness
aery
vsethereal
  • Archaic
9.9

Light and delicate, like a soft cloud

leans more toward seeming too perfect or celestial rather than only literary lightness
aeriform
vsethereal
9.9

Very light and not solid like air

places more weight on seeming heavenly or otherworldly rather than physical gaslike form
ultraterrene
vsethereal
  • Literature
9.9

A thing that seems from another world and gives a calm, spiritual feeling

is softer, focusing on delicate beauty rather than sheer unearthliness
translunar
vsethereal
  • Literature
9.9

Not of this world and seeming like a dream

is more immediate and delicate in beauty rather than simply beyond earth

Antonyms

812 1.0

A thing that has a lot of weight and is hard to lift

80 4.3

Ordinary daily things or events that are not special and often feel boring

75 4.5

Relating to the physical world and everyday life, not the spiritual

Compounds

ethereal look
  • Literature
7.6

A delicate, light appearance that seems not of this world

How Ethereal

otherworldly
  • Literature
36 7.8
heavenly
29 3.4
ethereal
  • Literature
22 8.8
airy
13 2.3
delicate
188 3.8

Surface Forms

ethereal positive

Morphology

ethereal = ether (semi-transparent) = ether + eal

The sense 'delicate, heavenly, otherworldly' is a figurative extension from 'ether' (upper air), so the relation is recognizable but metaphorical rather than a literal chemical relation.

Etymology

The word ethereal also comes from the old word aether, which meant 'upper air' or the bright sky where people thought the gods lived. That's why ethereal describes things that feel very light, delicate, or 'otherworldly'.