adjective
sultry
SUHLT-ree
Sultry (adjective) means Hot and humid, with heavy, still air. Example: “It was a sultry afternoon with barely a breath of wind.”
adjective
1
Hot and humid, with heavy, still air.
"The Champions League has brought suffering to City and Guardiola - especially when they lost to Premier League rivals Chelsea in the 2021 final - but all the pain disappeared just before midnight on a sultry night in Istanbul."
— Phil McNulty, Manchester City 1 - 0 Inter Milan (2023)
"It was a sultry afternoon with barely a breath of wind."
2
Suggestive of intense passion or sexual attraction.
"She gave the camera a sultry look for the album cover."
How to use sultry
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDescribing either oppressively hot, humid weather, or a smouldering, sexually charged appearance.
Common pairings
a sultry evening
a sultry voice
sultry weather
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Word forms
- Comparative
- sultrier
- Superlative
- sultriest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
It was a _____ afternoon with barely a breath of wind.
Etymology
From an obsolete verb sulter, a variant of swelter, combined with -y.
Related words
Rhymes for sultry
See all rhymes for sultry →Frequently asked questions
What does “sultry” mean?
The word “sultry” means hot and humid, with heavy, still air.
How do you pronounce “sultry”?
“Sultry” is pronounced SUHLT-ree (/ˈsʌltɹi/ in IPA).
How do you use “sultry” in a sentence?
Here is “sultry” used in a sentence: “It was a sultry afternoon with barely a breath of wind.”
What part of speech is “sultry”?
“Sultry” is an adjective.
How many meanings does “sultry” have?
“Sultry” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: hot and humid, with heavy, still air.
