vaporous
/'veipərəs/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Consisting of, resembling, or characteristic of vapor; misty or foggy: Describes something that is filled with or has the nature of vapor, steam, or mist.
- Lacking substance or clarity; vague, ethereal, or insubstantial: Describes something that is intangible, fleeting, or difficult to grasp, often in a figurative sense.
- Extremely light, thin, and delicate; so fine as to be almost transparent: Describes a material or appearance that is sheer, diaphanous, or gossamer.
Usage and Examples
- Literal (Misty/Foggy):
- The morning was cold and vaporous, with mist rising from the lake.
- They walked through the vaporous air of the hot springs.
- Figurative (Insubstantial/Vague):
- His argument was based on vaporous assumptions rather than solid evidence.
- She had only a vaporous memory of the event from her childhood.
- Descriptive (Sheer/Delicate):
- The dancer wore a vaporous silk scarf that floated around her.
- Through the vaporous curtain, the light created a soft glow in the room.
Advanced Usage and Nuances
- Scientific/Technical Context: In scientific writing, "vaporous" precisely describes the gaseous state of a substance, especially one that is normally a liquid or solid at room temperature.
- The chemist studied the vaporous emissions from the compound.
- Literary/Descriptive Context: Often used in literature and poetry to create an atmosphere of mystery, dreaminess, or fragility.
- The ghost appeared as a vaporous form in the moonlight.
Variants and Related Words
- Vapor (n): A substance in the gaseous state, especially one that is normally a liquid or solid; mist or steam.
- Vaporize (v): To convert or be converted into vapor.
- Vaporization (n): The process of turning into vapor.
- Evaporate (v): To turn from liquid into vapor (a more common synonym for this process).
- Vapory (adj): An alternative, less common form meaning resembling or full of vapor.
Synonyms
- Misty: Full of or covered with mist.
- Foggy: Filled with thick cloud of water droplets or smoke.
- Ethereal: Extremely delicate and light, seeming too perfect for this world.
- Diaphanous: (Especially of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent.
- Gossamer: A fine, filmy substance, extremely light and delicate.
- Insubstantial: Lacking strength and solidity.
- Evanescent: Soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading.
Antonyms
- Solid: Firm and stable in shape; not liquid or fluid.
- Substantial: Of considerable importance, size, or worth.
- Opaque: Not able to be seen through; not transparent.
- Tangible: Perceptible by touch; clear and definite; real.
Idiomatic and Figurative Use
- While "vaporous" itself is not commonly used in fixed idioms, it is frequently employed figuratively to describe ideas, plans, or memories that are unclear, unformed, or likely to disappear.
- Their business plan remained vaporous, with no concrete details.
- The promises he made were vaporous and soon forgotten.
Adjective
- filled with vapor
- miasmic jungles
- a vaporous bog
- resembling or characteristic of vapor
- vaporous clouds
- so thin as to transmit light
- a hat with a diaphanous veil
- filmy wings of a moth
- gauzy clouds of dandelion down
- gossamer cobwebs
- sheer silk stockings
- transparent chiffon
- vaporous silks