atmosphere

Meanings

1. The layer of gases around a planet.
2. The mood or feeling of a place or situation.

Example sentences

• "There is a friendly atmosphere in our classroom."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

• "The Earth's atmosphere protects us from harmful rays."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "The candles gave the room a calm atmosphere."

  Level B2, Meaning 2

• "The atmosphere at the match was exciting."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• environment : Environment is the whole surroundings, such as nature or a workplace. Atmosphere is the mood or feeling in a place.

Word family and forms

Forms: atmospheres

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "atmosphere".

• a friendly atmosphere
• the Earth's atmosphere
• a relaxed atmosphere
• create an atmosphere
• tense atmosphere
• the upper atmosphere

Origin

Atmosphere was borrowed from French and first formed in New Latin from two Greek words: atmos, meaning vapor or steam, and sphaira, meaning ball. It first meant the cloud of vapor around a planet.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Atmo is steam and sphere is a ball: a ball of steam around the Earth.

Test yourself

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