What does ethereal mean?
Word: Ethereal
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Ethereal means so light and airy that it seems to belong to another world.
Synonyms: airy
How do you spell ethereal?
Syllables: e - the - re - al
Tricky part: The vowel before the final al is an e. Etherial is the usual slip, since that syllable can sound like an i.
Watch out for: etherial, ethereel
Memory tip: Something ethereal hardly seems real, and the word closes just as real does.
Ethereal in a sentence
Example 1: Mist gave the green hills an ethereal look at dawn.
Example 2: The choir's high notes had an ethereal quality that hushed the room.
Example 3: Her white silk scarf looked almost ethereal in the moonlight.
Fun Fact
The word goes back to the Greek aither, the clear, bright air imagined high above the clouds.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
_th_real
a) i, e
b) a, e
c) e, e
d) e, a
Show answer
c) e, e. Both gaps take the same vowel: a short one at the start and the stressed long one after the th.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
The morning fog gave the lake an rhtealee beauty.
a) external
b) eternal
c) ethical
d) ethereal
Show answer
d) ethereal. Three e's and no n, i or c in the jumble leave a single choice.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word ethereal as used in the sentence:
The ethereal sound of the flute drifted across the silent courtyard.
a) stern
b) brisk
c) shrill
d) delicate
Show answer
d) delicate. A sound that drifts softly over a silent yard is delicate, not sharp or hurried.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. ethereal 2. translusent 3. gossamar 4. shimering
a) letting light through, but not clear
b) seeming hardly part of everyday life
c) very fine, light thread or cloth
d) shining with a soft, trembling light
Show answer
b) seeming hardly part of everyday life. Gossamer ends in er, translucent has a c after the u, and shimmering has a double m.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Choose the scene an author would be most likely to call ethereal.
a) a crowded bus stop at rush hour
b) a loud market on a hot afternoon
c) pale moonlight on still, misty water
d) a muddy football field in the rain
Show answer
c) pale moonlight on still, misty water
2. A dancer praised for her ethereal grace moves ____.
a) with sudden, clumsy turns
b) with heavy, stamping steps
c) as if she weighs almost nothing
d) as if she is very tired indeed
Show answer
c) as if she weighs almost nothing
