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airlike

airlike

8.2
Looks or moves like air, being light and not solid
  • adjective
  • /ˈɛrˌlaɪk/
translation icon : aéreo
  • She wore an airlike gown that seemed to float around her.

Examples

  • The fabric had an airlike quality that made it feel weightless.

  • Her movements were airlike, graceful and fluid.

  • Mist rose in airlike shapes above the still surface of the lake.

  • The ghost moved through the room in an airlike manner, barely disturbing the curtains.

  • The fabric had an airlike quality that made it feel weightless.

  • Mist rose in airlike shapes above the still surface of the lake.

  • Her movements were airlike, graceful and fluid.

Synonyms

airy
vsairlike
6 3.4

Very light and delicate, often seeming to float

is used for simple resemblance to air rather than stylistic lightness
vaporous
vsairlike
  • US
1 7.2

Light and not solid, like a dream fading at dawn

is concerned with broad air resemblance rather than a foggy visual effect
aeriform
vsairlike
9.9

Very light and not solid like air

is the neutral everyday word rather than the technical form
vaporish
vsairlike
  • US
9.9

Thin and faint like a light mist

is about resembling air in general, not specifically vapor or mist
vaporific
vsairlike
  • US
9.9

Looking light and cloudy like steam or mist

focuses on vapor characteristics rather than general air resemblance

Antonyms

325 1.0

Firm and hard so it keeps its shape, not liquid

dense
  • Specialized
42 4.2

Has a lot of matter in a small space

Surface Forms

airlike positive

Morphology

airlike = air (transparent) = air + like

Meaning is directly derived from 'air' + the productive English suffix '-like' meaning 'resembling'.

Etymology

The word airlike is made of air and the ending -like, where -like means 'similar to', as in childlike. So airlike literally means 'similar to air', which is why we use it for something light, thin, or that seems to float.