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

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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
  • Despite the warmer temperatures, moisture levels will remain relatively limited, so conditions should not feel excessively humid.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The further a bean travels through humid links in the chain, the more opportunities for growth.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of humid
Adjective
  • Interviews are supplemented with archival clips of Perry’s screen work and interviews, and some of the show’s most searing material is conveyed in the actor’s own (previously recorded and publicized) voice.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The result of hours of chopping, searing, and mixing is our second annual Gear of the Year list.
    — Editors of Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of searing
Adjective
  • Next, take your damp sponge and, using the larger, rounded end, pick up the foundation from the back of your hand and tap the product into the skin.
    — Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 24 Oct. 2026
  • If the soil feels damp or the meter shows adequate moisture, check back in a couple of days.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 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
  • Then, of course, there’s the sandwich that started it all — the Sublime, with prosciutto, hot soppressata, burrata, fresh walnut pesto, spicy garlic aioli, sundried tomatoes and arugula.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Neither is the league’s hottest player, the record five-time MVP A’Ja Wilson, whose defending champion Las Vegas were swept in the semifinals by Golden State.
    — Don Riddell, CNN Money, 22 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
  • Tiny droplets of the molten tin are fired out of a cannon into a vacuum chamber, where they are shot—sixty thousand times a second—by unerring lasers.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Each color change requires it to unload one filament, load another and purge the remaining molten plastic.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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