Airy Meaning
/ˈɛə.ɹi/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjConsisting of air.
adjRelating or belonging to air; high in air; aerial.
Sentence Examples
Her head was full of airy thoughts.
A light, airy puff flows from this perfume.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The open window made the stuffy room feel light and ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new living room is very bright and ____ with its large windows.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It was a good solid house, fanless but airy."
— 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 255:
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The open window made the stuffy room feel light and ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The new living room is very bright and ____ with its large windows.