Dictionary

airy en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈɛə.ɹi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɛɚ.i/ without the Mary–marry–merry merger
• [ˈɛː.ɹi] (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈiəɹi/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
• /ˈeəɹi/ (New-Zealand) without the cheer–chair merger
• /ˈɛɹ.i/ Mary–marry–merry merger
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈeɹɪ/ (Scotland)
• /ˈeː.ɹi/ (Australia)
• [ˈɛ˞.i] Mary–marry–merry merger
• /ˈɜːɹɪ/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
• /ˈeɹe/ (Scotland)
• ârʹē (Canada, General-American)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *-r Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English airy From air + -y.

Meanings

1. Consisting of air.
   • an airy substance; the airy parts of bodies
2. Relating or belonging to air; high in air; aerial.
   • an airy flight
3. Open to a free current of air; exposed to the air; breezy.
   • It was a good solid house, fanless but airy. 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 255:
   • an airy situation
4. Resembling air; thin; unsubstantial; not material; airlike.
   • Neither diamond-hardness nor airy intangibility can save you from this, the searing agony of death! 1977 July 10, Jim Shooter, “Beware the Ant-Man!”, in Avengers, volume 1, number 161, panel 5, Marvel Comics, page 14:
5. Relating to the spirit or soul; delicate; graceful.
   • airy music
6. Not based on reality; having no solid foundation
   • One critic [Madeleine Schwartz] recently noted that the politics of Rooney’s novels were largely “gestural,” with airy mentions of Gaza or austerity protests but not much radical substance. 2019 April 12, Annalisa Quinn, “The Small Rebellions of Sally Rooney’s Normal People”, in The Atlantic:
   • Ah me, ah me! No other ghost has haunted the boy’s room, my friends, since I have occupied it, than the ghost of my own childhood, the ghost of my own innocence, the ghost of my own airy belief. 1859 December 13, Charles Dickens, “The Ghost in Master B’s Room”, in Charles Dickens, editor, The Haunted House. The Extra Christmas Number of All the Year Round […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Whiting, […], →OCLC, page 30:
7. Light-hearted; vivacious
8. Having an affected manner; being in the habit of putting on airs; affectedly grand.
9. (qualifier:painting) Having the light and aerial tints true to nature.
10. (of a room or building) Spacious, well lit, well ventilated.
    • The station has a bright and airy feel and the refurbishment works have provided a modern and inviting station environment for passengers. 2020 December 2, Andy Coward, “New-look Reading is willing and able”, in Rail, page 59:

Forms

Deriveds

airy fairy · Mount Airy · nonairy · airily · airiness

Synonyms

flippant (light-hearted; vivacious) · empty · trifling · empty (not based on reality) · carefree · flippant · visionary · ethereal (relating to the spirit or soul) · aereous (consisting of air) · superficial · trifling (not based on reality) · sprightly · superficial · gaseous · visionary (not based on reality) · sprightly · aereous (resembling air)

Translations (30)

cs bezstarostný (light of heart, superficial) · fr aéré (breezy, in an airy situation) · de umweht (breezy, in an airy situation) · fi ilmava (breezy, in an airy situation) · el αεράτος (light of heart, superficial) · es airoso (breezy, in an airy situation) · cs povrchní (light of heart, superficial) · ga aerach (light of heart, superficial) · el αεράτος (breezy, in an airy situation) · bcl hayahay (breezy, in an airy situation) · cy temprus (breezy, in an airy situation) · fi ilmava (light of heart, superficial) · cs nonšalantní (light of heart, superficial) · de gelüftet (breezy, in an airy situation) · de luftig (breezy, in an airy situation) · de lebhaft (light of heart, superficial) · ca airejós (breezy, in an airy situation) · de sorglos (light of heart, superficial) · cs ležérní (light of heart, superficial) · ga alluaiceach (light of heart, superficial) · mi hauangi (breezy, in an airy situation) · de belüftet (breezy, in an airy situation) · eo aera (breezy, in an airy situation) · ga análach (breezy, in an airy situation) · de sorgenfrei (light of heart, superficial) · de zugig (breezy, in an airy situation) · de oberflächlich (light of heart, superficial) · cy awelog (breezy, in an airy situation) · de unbeständig (light of heart, superficial) · mi pongipongi (breezy, in an airy situation)