sultry

adjective

ˈsəl-trē How to pronounce sultry (audio)
Definition of sultrynext
1
as in humid
containing or characterized by an uncomfortable amount of moisture on really sultry days we go to the mall to hang out and cool off

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in searing
having a notably high temperature the incredibly dry, sultry desert air

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sultry But the mission isn’t the only thing on his mind; brief scenes of Adria Arjona’s investigator give a glimpse at the woman who is every bit Crown’s match in a sultry game of chess. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 29 July 2026 The Alta Moda closing show in Sicily saw the entertainer donning stunning, sultry custom looks for the supremely lavish celebration. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 17 July 2026 Or that Penélope Cruz’s sultry chilliness would jibe with either her male counterparts or Wilde’s diary-of-a-mad-housewife interpretation of a brittle, eager-to-impress woman brimming with creative frustration. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 June 2026 After a sultry stretch, weather conditions in parts of the Midwest and East are about to get more refreshing for the final week of the astronomical spring season. — Ben Noll, Washington Post, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for sultry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sultry
  1. humid
  2. searing
  3. damp
  4. boiling
  5. hot
  6. burning
  7. molten
Adjective
  • Hot and humid Wednesday as rain chances increase Another hot and humid day, with temperatures again reaching the upper 80s and lower 90s.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Summer in Kansas City means Royals baseball, hot and humid days and reading stories about how the Chargers are going to be the team to beat in the AFC West.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of humid
Adjective
  • What followed was a horrific night of physical and mental spousal abuse, which Adams describes in searing, emotional prose.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Artificial, which arrives in theaters on Christmas, may be the most searing of the lot.
    — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of searing
Adjective
  • The weather will be raw, damp, and chilly with wind-chills falling into the 40s.
    — Gregory Padgett, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Ventile, developed for the British military in 1943, is a cotton weave that leverages the fabric’s desire to expand when wet; when densely woven, the damp fibers actually create a natural elemental barrier—no weatherproofing chemicals required.
    — Daniel Varghese, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of damp
Adjective
  • More humane methods of killing lobsters pre-boiling include a sharp knife through the head, electrical stunning, or freezing.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Agrawal and her team studied ionic liquids — salts that are liquid at sub-boiling temperatures (below 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius) — as a potential hospitable environment for life.
    — Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Definition of boiling
Adjective
  • Credit stress at CoreWeave, concerns over corporate AI spending and another hot inflation report erased more than $1 trillion from 20 of the world's largest AI and semiconductor stocks this week.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Another hot Thursday rumor said that Rice also met recently with NBCUniversal about a post there.
    — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of hot
Adjective
  • Prosecutors said some of the money was used for recruiting new members and purchasing Ku Klux Klan robes and materials for cross-burning ceremonies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
  • In the case of the cross-burning incident, there is no comparison to the Jussie Smollett case.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
Definition of burning
Adjective
  • Each color change requires it to unload one filament, load another and purge the remaining molten plastic.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Increasing demand for molten salt reactors Molten salt reactors run at near-atmospheric pressure and rely on passive safety mechanisms if power fails.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of molten

Browse Nearby Words

sultriness
sultry
sum
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Cite this Entry

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

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