Definition

Adjective: 1. Sultry, oppressively hot and humid: Describes weather that is extremely hot, humid, and uncomfortable, often with little to no air movement, making it difficult to breathe. It implies a heavy, stifling atmosphere.

Usage

• "Oi nồng" is used primarily to describe weather conditions, especially during the summer or in tropical climates.
• It conveys a sense of physical discomfort and a feeling of being enveloped by thick, unmoving air.
• It is an adjective and can modify nouns like thời tiết (weather), không khí (air), buổi chiều (afternoon), or đêm (night).

Usage Examples

• Thời tiết hôm nay thật oi nồng. (The weather today is truly sultry.)
• Căn phòng ngột ngạt trong không khí oi nồng. (The room was stuffy in the sultry air.)
• Sau cơn mưa, cái oi nồng của buổi chiều hè vẫn chưa tan hẳn. (After the rain, the sultriness of the summer afternoon hadn't completely dissipated.)

Advanced Usage

• "oi nồng đến ngột thở": sultry to the point of being suffocating.
  • Đợt nóng này oi nồng đến ngột thở. (This heatwave is sultry to the point of being suffocating.)
• It can be used metaphorically in literature to describe a tense, heavy, or emotionally charged atmosphere, though this is less common in everyday speech.

Variants and Related Words

• Oi bức (adj): A very close synonym, also meaning hot, stifling, and humid. "Oi nồng" and "oi bức" are often used interchangeably.
• Ngột ngạt (adj): Stuffy, suffocating. Can describe physical air quality or a figurative oppressive situation.
• Nóng ẩm (adj): Hot and humid. This is a more neutral, descriptive term compared to the discomfort implied by "oi nồng".

Synonyms

• Nóng ngột (adj): Hot and stifling.
• Bí bách (adj): Stuffy, confined (often describing a space).

Related Idioms

• Nóng như lửa đốt: (Lit: Hot as burning fire). An idiom for extreme, scorching heat. While "oi nồng" emphasizes humidity and stillness, this idiom emphasizes intense, dry heat.

adjective

1. sultry