empyrean

1 of 2

adjective

em·​py·​re·​an ˌem-ˌpī-ˈrē-ən How to pronounce empyrean (audio)
-pə-;
em-ˈpir-ē-ən How to pronounce empyrean (audio)
-ˈpī-rē-
Synonyms of empyreannext
: empyreal

empyrean

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: the highest heaven or heavenly sphere in ancient and medieval cosmology usually consisting of fire or light
b
: the true and ultimate heavenly paradise
2
: firmament, heavens
3
: an ideal place or state

Synonyms of empyrean

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Adjective

Noun

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Examples of empyrean in a Sentence

Adjective movie scenes set in heaven often suggest that harps are the favored instruments for empyrean music Noun ascended into the empyrean after a life filled with good deeds most ticket buyers have no trouble envisioning the empyrean that winning the lottery would inevitably bring about
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Louis leaves Prior, drawing the first line in a pattern of abandonment that informs the entire play, and finally stretches all the way into the empyrean kingdom of an absent God. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2018 The event, held high up in skyscraping event venue Glasshouse Chelsea, offered sweeping vista views of the Manhattan and New Jersey skylines meant to evoke the game’s new empyrean setting. — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2023 At their best, Harjo’s poems inform each other, linking her different modes, facilitating her tendency to zoom from a personal experience to a more empyrean one. — Maya Phillips, The New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2019 Our badges looked different, we were afforded fewer privileges, and we were certainly kept in the dark about The Algorithm (pause for heavenly-choir noise effect) and other such empyrean secrets. — Lucas Peterson, GQ, 22 May 2017
Noun
O’Keeffe places the viewer aloft, level with the bone, high up in the empyrean. — Roxana Robinson, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2021 That could quickly propel a few black schools into the athletic empyrean, and change the place of HBCUs in American culture. — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2019 Photograph courtesy Netflix At the very top level of the pop-music empyrean, where the K-pop group BTS surely resides, an album release is never just an album release. — Mitch Therieau, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026 Betts is part of the Sox Sensation club with Fred Lynn and Nomar Garciaparra, all wildly popular and productive players who turned out to be supernovas streaking across the Boston baseball empyrean instead of franchise polestars. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 18 July 2022

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of empyrean was in the 15th century

Rhymes for empyrean

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Browse Nearby Words

empyreal
empyrean
empyreum
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Cite this Entry

“Empyrean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empyrean. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

empyrean

noun
em·​py·​re·​an
ˌem-ˌpī-ˈrē-ən, 
-pə-;
em-ˈpir-ē-ən, 
-ˈpī-rē-ən
1
: the highest heaven or heavenly sphere
2
: sky sense 1, heavens
empyreal
-əl
adjective
empyrean adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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