adjective
sultry
SUHLT-ree
adjective
1
Hot and humid, with heavy, still air.
"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
Word Forms
sultrier comparative, sultriest superlative
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It was a _____ afternoon with barely a breath of wind.
Etymology
From an obsolete verb sulter, a variant of swelter, combined with -y.