ethereal en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- (Australia) audio
- /iˈθɪə̯.ri.əl/ (Australia)
- /əˈθɪə̯.ri.əl/ (Australia)
- /ɪˈθɪɚ.i.əl/ (General-American)
- /ɪˈθɪə.ɹɪ.əl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /iˈθɪɚ.i.əl/ (General-American)
Etymology
From Latin aetherius (“of or pertaining to the ether, the sky, Heaven or the air or upper air”), from Ancient Greek αἰθέριος (aithérios, “of or pertaining to the upper air”). By surface analysis, ether + -ial.
Meanings
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Pertaining to the presupposition of an invisible air-like element permeating all of space, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere.
She was very young—at the most nineteen, with a pale somewhat refined face, yellow hair, merry blue eyes, and shining teeth. Her beauty was of an ethereal type.
1885, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Man From Archangel:ethereal regions
Since to part, / Go heavenly Gueſt, Ethereal Meſſenger, / Sent from whoſe ſovran goodneſs I adore.
1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 1282–1284:ethereal space
Our visitors, upon the whole, were not much to boast of; and yet, sitting in a corner and very much ashamed of myself and my absurd appearance, I have again and again tasted the finest, the rarest, and the most ethereal pleasures in a glance of an eye that I should never see again—and never wanted to.
1893–1897 (date written), Robert Louis Stevenson, “A Tale of a Lion Rampant”, in St. Ives: Being the Adventures of a French Prisoner in England, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1897, →OCLC, page 6:I trust that we shall be more imaginative, that our thoughts will be clearer, fresher, and more ethereal, as our sky,[…]
1862, Henry David Thoreau, “Walking”, in The Atlantic Monthly, volume 9, number 56:Near-synonyms: aereous, celestial
Virgil described the ethereal process as expanding itself through the universe, and giving life and motion to the inhabitants of earth, water, and air, by a participation of its own essence, each particle of which returned to its native source at the dissolution of the body which it animated.
1941, George Ryley Scott, Phallic Worship: A History of Sex and Sex Rites in Relation to the Religions of All Races from Antiquity to the Present Day, London: T. Werner Laurie, page 25:The fanciful fables of fairy land are but allegories of the young poet's mind when the sweet spell is upon him. Some slight thing calls up the visionary world, and all the outward and actual is for the time forgotten. It is a fever ethereal and lovely; but, like all other fevers, leaving behind weakness and exhaustion.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 25–26:
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Pertaining to the immaterial realm, as symbolically represented by, or (in earlier epochs) conflated with, such atmospheric and extra-atmospheric concepts.
Sure he preſum'd of praiſe, vvho came to ſtock / Th' etherial paſtures vvith ſo fair a flock; / Burniſh'd, and bat'ning on their food, to ſhovv / The diligence of carefull herds belovv.
1687, [John Dryden], “[The First Part]”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 22:Near-synonyms: celestial, incorporeal, insubstantial, intangible, spiritual, uncorporeal, mystical, otherworldly, transcendental; see also Thesaurus:cosmic
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Consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy, as form, manner, thought, etc.
The innocent if lawless elf, / Ethereal in virginity, / Retains the consciousness of self.
1876, Herman Melville, “Canto XXII. Of Rama.”, in Walter E. Bezanson, editor, Clarel: A Poem and Pilgrimage in the Holy Land […], New York, N.Y.: Hendricks House, published 1960, →OCLC, part I (Jerusalem), page 108, lines 17–19:Strange mystery of our nature, that those in whom genius developes itself in imagination, thus taking its most ethereal form, should yet be the most dependent on the opinions of others!
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 3:Close to the border with Eritrea, its ethereal, Martian landscape sits within the Danakil Depression.
2025 April 22, Joe Minihane, “24 of the world’s most unusual landscapes”, in CNN, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2025:He did not see[…]that already, in the incipiency of his work, the heavy unmalleable element of mere book-knowledge would not congenially weld with the wide fluidness and ethereal airiness of spontaneous creative thought.
1852 July, Herman Melville, “Book XXI. Pierre Immaturely Attempts a Mature Book. Tidings from the Meadows. Plinlimmon.”, in Pierre: Or, The Ambiguities, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:The hall, when emptied of its furniture, brilliantly lit, adorned with flowers whose scent tinged the air, presented a wonderful appearance of ethereal gaiety.
1915, Virginia Woolf, chapter XII, in The Voyage Out, London: Duckworth & Co., […], →OCLC:Vaſt chain of being ! which from God began, / Ethereal Eſſence, Spirit, Subſtance, Man, / Beaſt, Bird, Fiſh, Inſect ! [...]
1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], epistle I, London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC, page 14, lines 237–239:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most ethereal | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| æthereal | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| ætheriall | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| aethereal | alternative | lexicographic | |
| æthereall | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| ætherial | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| aetherial | alternative | lexicographic | |
| more ethereal | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Antonyms
earthly · earthly · corporeal · corporal
Deriveds
etherealisation · etherealism · etherealization · unethereal · electroethereal · ethereality · ethereal wave · etherealizing · ethereally · etherealise · nonethereal · metethereal · etherealize · etherealness
Synonyms
light · incorporeal · insubstantial · spiritual · aetheric · cosmic · aereous · diaphanous · transcendental · delicate · aerial · airy · wafty · aeriform · celestial · mystical · otherworldly · tenuous · ethereous · subtle · aereous · etheric · nice · unsubstantial · universal · vaporous · gaseous · tricky · insubstantial · immaterial · pneumatic · ethereal · aery · airy · uncorporeal · knotty · celestial · intangible · ethereal · unreal · vaporlike · delicate
Translations (49)
nb eterisk (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · el αιθέριος (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · pt etéreo (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · ga aerga (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · la aetherius (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · pl eteryczny (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · cmn 空靈 /空灵 (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · sh nadzemaljski (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · el αέρινος (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · it etereo (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · pl nieziemski (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · he שְׁמֵימִי (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · grc αἰθέριος (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · de ätherisch (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · ro eteric (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · pt etéreo (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · gl etéreo (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · fi taivaallinen (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · nb eterisk (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · es etéreo (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · pl eteryczny (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · it etereo (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · cs nadpozemský (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · cs éterický (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · bg ефирен (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · cs éterický (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · nb himmelsk (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · nl hemels (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · pl niebiański (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · fr éthéré (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · hi स्वर्गिक (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · pl zwiewny (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · fi eteerinen (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · eo etera (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · pl lekki (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · ca eteri (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · de ätherisch (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · fi haihtuva (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · hi आकाशीय (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · ru эфи́рный (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · fr éthéré (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · la aetherius (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · hi पारलौकिक (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · nl etherisch (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · nl etherisch (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · sv eterisk (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy) · ro eteric (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · es etéreo (pertaining to the hypothetical upper, purer air, or to the higher regions beyond the earth or beyond the atmosphere) · de himmlisch (consisting of ether; hence, exceedingly light or airy; tenuous; spiritlike; characterized by extreme delicacy)