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atmosphere

at·mosp·here

UK/ˈatməsˌfɪː/ US/ˈætməsˌfɪə/ common

noun

1.

a particular environment or surrounding influence

  • “there was an atmosphere of excitement”
Synonyms
2.

a unit of pressure: the pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 mm high at sea level and 0 degrees centigrade

Synonyms
3.

the mass of air surrounding the Earth

  • “there was great heat as the comet entered the atmosphere”
  • “it was exposed to the air”
Synonyms
4.

the weather or climate at some place

  • “the atmosphere was thick with fog”
Synonyms
5.

the envelope of gases surrounding any celestial body

6.

a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing

  • “an air of mystery”
  • “the house had a neglected air”
  • “an atmosphere of defeat pervaded the candidate”
  • “;”
Synonyms

Origin

Borrowed from French atmosphère, from New Latin atmosphaera, from Ancient Greek ἀτμός (atmós, “steam”) + σφαῖρα (sphaîra, “sphere”); corresponding to atmo- + -sphere.

Phrases

  • controlled atmosphere
  • lower atmosphere
  • middle atmosphere
  • modified atmosphere
  • upper atmosphere
  • you could cut the atmosphere with a knife

Related words

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.