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Glite Dictionary
in the air

in the air

124 3.7
A feeling many people notice, like excitement or joy, that something will happen
  • idiom
translation icon : en el ambiente
  • ... there was a wonderful feeling of euphoria in the air, something for which I feel a deep nostalgia.
  • hangs in the air

There's something in the air tonight.

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Examples

  • Others pay it little mind, even though the tunes are in the air for them to hear.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The psychedelic revolution was very much in the air in Cambridge, as was student rebellion regarding Vietnam.

    Academic text (2001)

  • I feel it in the air.

    Serendipity (2001)

  • There certainly is hope in the air in this changing South Africa.

    Academic text (1990)

  • There was something extraordinary in the air, like spring, but much stronger.

    Academic text (1990)

  • And there's something in the air tonight.

  • Mainstreaming as a concept is in the air within the Indian community in DFW.

    Academic text (2005)

  • There's excitement in the air, Iadies and gentlemen.

    Chicken Little (2005)

  • The scent of cooking fires and the sound of pagoda bells hang in the air.

    Academic text (2003)

  • There's a feeling of excitement in the air as the festival approaches.

Synonyms

in the wind
vsin the air
  • Informal
9 6.3

People are talking about something that is likely to happen soon

is felt by many as likely to happen rather than only being rumored
in everyone's thoughts
vsin the air
4.3

Something many people think and talk about

is experienced as a shared feeling that something will happen rather than just awareness

How Likely

certain
946 1.0
imminent
168 4.8
in the cards
  • Informal
17 6.1
in the air
124 3.7
possible
∞ 1.0
unlikely
487 1.9

Surface Forms

in the air positive

Morphology

in + the + air

The meaning follows compositionally from 'in' (position inside) plus 'air' understood as atmosphere or mood: if something is 'in the air' it is present in the surrounding atmosphere and thus sensed by people. This figurative but directly motivated mapping (something present in the atmosphere = widely felt/likely) is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrase in the air makes you picture something like smoke or perfume floating around so many people notice it. So when a mood or idea is in the air, it means many people feel it and it seems 'likely to happen'.