empyreal

adjective

ˌem-ˌpī-ˈrē-əl How to pronounce empyreal (audio)
Definition of empyrealnext
as in celestial
of, relating to, or suggesting heaven a painting depicting the Deity as seated on an empyreal throne surrounded by saints and angels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for empyreal
  1. celestial
  2. heavenly
Adjective
  • Heavily promoted as the most anticipated celestial event of the second half of the 20th century, the comet proved to be an underwhelming sight that belied promises of a spectacle never to be seen again.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Draconids are also referred to as the Giacobinids in honor of that comet’s discoverer, Michel Giacobini, who spotted the celestial object in 1900.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of celestial
Adjective
  • The duo think they’re headed to the heavenly afterlife only to arrive at the office of the Devil (voiced by Culkin), who seems overwhelmed by his job.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • To qualify for beatification, the Vatican normally requires one miracle attributable to the faithful seeking the candidate's heavenly prayers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of heavenly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

emptying
empyreal
empyrean
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Empyreal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/empyreal. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All