airy
(redirected from airiest)Also found in: Thesaurus.
airy
breezy; jaunty; sprightly; lively: airy songs; unsubstantial; unreal; imaginary; fanciful; lofty
Not to be confused with:
aerie – the nest of a bird of prey, a house or fortress located high on a hill or mountain
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
air·y
(âr′ē)adj. air·i·er, air·i·est
1.
a. Open to or allowing in air; breezy or drafty: "the airy bungalows of the island's top officials" (Amitav Ghosh).
b. Extensive in area or height; spacious: "An open floor plan made bright and airy by soaring ceilings" (Country Living).
2. High in the air; lofty: airy skyscrapers.
3. Performed in the air; aerial.
4. Resembling or evocative of air, especially:
a. Having little or no substance; thin or immaterial: an airy apparition.
b. Light or delicate: an airy dress.
5. Speculative, impractical, or vacuous: airy notions of human perfectibility.
6. Haughty or affected: dismissed us with an airy wave of the hand.
7. Chiefly Irish Light-hearted; merry.
8. Archaic Of, relating to, or having the constitution of air.
air′i·ly adv.
air′i·ness n.
Synonyms: airy, filmy, gauzy, gossamer, sheer2
These adjectives mean so light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film: airy curtains blowing at the window; the filmy wings of a moth; gauzy clouds in the sky; a gown of gossamer fabric; sheer silk stockings.
These adjectives mean so light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film: airy curtains blowing at the window; the filmy wings of a moth; gauzy clouds in the sky; a gown of gossamer fabric; sheer silk stockings.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
airy
(ˈɛərɪ)adj, airier or airiest
1. abounding in fresh air
2. spacious or uncluttered
3. nonchalant; superficial
4. visionary; fanciful: airy promises; airy plans.
5. of or relating to air
6. weightless and insubstantial: an airy gossamer.
7. light and graceful in movement
8. having no material substance: airy spirits.
9. high up in the air; lofty
10. performed in the air; aerial
Airy
(ˈɛərɪ)n
(Biography) Sir George Biddell. 1801–92, British astronomer, noted for his estimate of the earth's density from gravity measurements in mines; astronomer royal (1835–81)
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
air•y
(ˈɛər i)adj. air•i•er, air•i•est.
1. open to a free current of fresh air: airy rooms.
2. immaterial: airy phantoms.
3. thin: airy garments.
4. light in manner; sprightly; lively: airy songs.
5. light in movement; graceful: an airy step.
6. performed in the air; aerial.
7. lofty; high in the air.
8. snobbishly affected; haughty: a model striking airy poses.
[1350–1400]
air′i•ly, adv.
air′i•ness, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Adj. | 1. |  airy - open to or abounding in fresh air; "airy rooms"ventilated - exposed to air; "a well ventilated room" |
| 2. | airy - not practical or realizable; speculative; "airy theories about socioeconomic improvement"; "visionary schemes for getting rich" utopian - characterized by or aspiring to impracticable perfection; "the dim utopian future"; "utopian idealists"; "recognized the utopian nature of his hopes" | |
| 3. |  airy - having little or no perceptible weight; so light as to resemble air; "airy gauze curtains"light - of comparatively little physical weight or density; "a light load"; "magnesium is a light metal--having a specific gravity of 1.74 at 20 degrees C" | |
| 4. |  airy - characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air; "figures light and aeriform come unlooked for and melt away"- Thomas Carlyle; "aerial fancies"; "an airy apparition"; "physical rather than ethereal forms"insubstantial, unsubstantial, unreal - lacking material form or substance; unreal; "as insubstantial as a dream"; "an insubstantial mirage on the horizon" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
airy
adjective
1. well-ventilated, open, light, fresh, spacious, windy, lofty, breezy, uncluttered, draughty, gusty, blowy The bathroom is light and airy.
well-ventilated close, heavy, stifling, oppressive, stale, suffocating, stuffy, airless, muggy, unventilated
well-ventilated close, heavy, stifling, oppressive, stale, suffocating, stuffy, airless, muggy, unventilated
2. light-hearted, light, happy, gay, lively, cheerful, animated, merry, upbeat (informal), buoyant, graceful, cheery, genial, high-spirited, jaunty, chirpy (informal), sprightly, debonair, nonchalant, blithe, frolicsome He sailed past, giving them an airy wave of the hand.
light-hearted sad, miserable, gloomy, dismal, melancholy, glum, morose, cheerless
light-hearted sad, miserable, gloomy, dismal, melancholy, glum, morose, cheerless
3. insubstantial, imaginary, visionary, flimsy, fanciful, ethereal, immaterial, illusory, wispy, weightless, incorporeal, vaporous 'launch aid', an airy euphemism for more state handouts
insubstantial real, material, substantial, concrete, realistic, tangible, corporeal
insubstantial real, material, substantial, concrete, realistic, tangible, corporeal
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
airy
adjective1. Of or relating to air:
3. Exposed to or characterized by the presence of freely circulating air or wind:
4. So light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مَرِح، رَشِيق، رَقَيقمُهَوَّى، مَلِيء بِالهَواء الطَّلْق
lehkomyslnývzdušný
luftigmunterubekymret
jó levegõjû
léttúîugur, kærulausloftgóîur, rúmgóîur
airy
[ˈɛərɪ] ADJ (airier (compar) (airiest (superl)))3. (= careless, light) [remark] → hecho a la ligera; [gesture, wave] → despreocupado
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
airy
adj (+er)
(= casual) manner, gesture → lässig, nonchalant; (= vague) promise → vage; theory → versponnen; (= superior, flippant) → blasiert, erhaben
(liter: = immaterial) phantom → körperlos
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
airy
[ˈɛərɪ] adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (place) → arieggiato/a; (room) → arioso/a; (remark) → superficiale; (manner) → spensierato/a, noncuranteCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
air
(eə) noun1. the mixture of gases we breathe; the atmosphere. Mountain air is pure.
2. the space above the ground; the sky. Birds fly through the air.
3. appearance. The house had an air of neglect.
4. a tune. She played a simple air on the piano.
verb1. to expose to the air in order to dry or make more fresh etc. to air linen.
2. to make known. He loved to air his opinions.
ˈairbag noun a safety bag in a car that protects the driver or a passenger in an accident.
ˈairily adverb in a light-hearted manner. She airily dismissed all objections.
ˈairiness nounˈairing noun
a short walk etc in the open air. She took the baby for an airing.
ˈairless adjective1. (of weather) still and windless. It was a hot, airless night.
2. (of a room etc) stuffy and without fresh air.
ˈairy adjective1. with plenty of (fresh) air. an airy room.
2. light-hearted and not serious. an airy disregard for authority.
ˈairborne adjective in the air or flying. We were airborne five minutes after boarding the plane; airborne germs.
ˌair-conˈditioned adjective having air-conditioning. an air-conditioned building.
ˌair-conˈditioner noun an apparatus providing air-conditioning.
ˌair-conˈditioning noun a method of providing a room, building etc with air of a controlled temperature and humidity.
ˈaircraft – plural ˈaircraft – noun any of several types of machine for flying in the air. Enemy aircraft have been sighted.
aircraft carrier a ship which carries aircraft and which aircraft can use for landing and taking off.
ˈairfield noun an area of ground (with buildings etc) where (usually military) aircraft are kept and from which they fly.
air force the part of the armed services which uses aircraft. the army, navy and air force.
ˈair-gun noun a gun that is worked by air under pressure.
air hostess a young woman who looks after passengers in an aircraft.
air letter a letter sent by airmail.
ˈairlift noun an operation to move cargo or people, carried out by air.
ˈairline noun (a company that owns) a regular air transport service. Which airline are you travelling by?
ˈairliner noun a (usually large) aircraft for carrying passengers.
ˈair-lock noun a bubble in a pipe which prevents liquid from flowing along it.
ˈairmail noun a system of carrying mail by air. Send this parcel by airmail; (also adjective) an airmail letter.
ˈairman noun a member of an air force.
ˈair pollution nounAir pollution is caused by smoke, toxic gases etc.
ˈairplane noun (American) an aeroplane.
ˈairport noun a place where passenger aircraft arrive and depart, with buildings for customs, waiting-rooms etc.
ˈair-pump noun a pump for forcing air in or out of something.
ˈair-raid noun an attack by aircraft.
ˈairship noun an aircraft that is lighter than air and can be steered etc.
ˈairtight adjective (of a container etc) into or through which air cannot pass. an airtight seal on a bottle.
ˈairway noun a regular course followed by aircraft.
on the air broadcasting (regularly) on radio or television.
put on airs / give oneself airs to behave as if one is better or more important than others. She gives herself such airs that everyone dislikes her.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.