sultry
/'sʌltri/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- (Of weather or air) Uncomfortably hot and humid; oppressively warm and damp. This meaning describes atmospheric conditions that feel heavy, sticky, and difficult to breathe in.
- (Of a person, manner, or quality) Suggesting or expressing passionate, often sensual, attractiveness. This meaning describes an intense, smoldering, and sexually alluring quality.
Examples of Usage
- Describing weather or atmosphere:
- The sultry afternoon made everyone lethargic.
- We opened the windows, but the sultry night air provided no relief.
- Describing a sensual or passionate quality:
- She gave him a sultry glance from across the room.
- The singer's sultry voice captivated the audience.
Advanced Usage
- "Sultry heat": A common collocation emphasizing oppressive, humid warmth.
- The city was blanketed in a wave of sultry heat.
- "Sultry look/voice/smile": Frequently used to describe a specifically alluring, slow-burning, and intense form of attractiveness.
- He was known for his sultry on-screen presence.
Variants and Related Words
- Sultriness (noun): The quality or state of being sultry.
- The sultriness of the climate was hard to adjust to.
- Her performance was praised for its sultriness.
Synonyms
- For weather: muggy, stifling, oppressive, humid, close, sticky.
- For manner: sensual, smoldering, passionate, seductive, alluring, voluptuous.
Antonyms
- For weather: crisp, cool, fresh, brisk, dry.
- For manner: frigid, cold, chaste, modest, innocent.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- "Sultry summer night": A classic phrase evoking a hot, humid, and often romantically charged evening atmosphere.
- They danced on the terrace on a sultry summer night.
Adjective
- characterized by oppressive heat and humidity
- the summer was sultry and oppressive
- the stifling atmosphere
- the sulfurous atmosphere preceding a thunderstorm
- sexually exciting or gratifying
- sensual excesses
- a sultry look
- a sultry dance