ENGLISH
REFERENCE

ethereal

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ɪˈθɪɹiəɫ// UK //iːθˈiəɹɪəl// ethe·re·al

adj. extremely delicate and light in a way that does not seem to belong to this world. You use it to describe things that look or sound heavenly or ghostly.

adj. characterised by extreme delicacy, lightness, or a celestial quality that suggests a non-material existence. Often used to describe light, music, or physical beauty that appears otherworldly.


SIMPLE

The singer has a beautiful, ethereal voice.

CONTEXTUAL

The morning mist gave the forest an ethereal glow that made it look like a scene from a fairy tale.

COMPLEX

The composer achieved an ethereal texture by layering high-pitched woodwinds over a bed of shimmering violins, creating a soundscape that felt untethered from the physical world.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Typically used as an attributive adjective before a noun or predicatively after a linking verb like 'seem' or 'look'.

© 2026 English Reference