ambient

1 of 2

adjective

am·​bi·​ent ˈam-bē-ənt How to pronounce ambient (audio)
1
: existing or present on all sides : encompassing
the ambient air temperature
ambient light
ambient sound
2
: of or relating to ambient music (see ambient entry 2 sense 2)

ambient

2 of 2

noun

1
: an encompassing atmosphere : environment
2
: music intended to serve as an unobtrusive accompaniment to other activities (as in a public place) and characterized especially by quiet and repetitive instrumental melodies

Did you know?

Biologists explore the effects of ambient light on plants; acoustics experts try to control ambient sound; and meteorologists study ambient pressure, air, or temperature. All this can make ambient seem like a technical term, but when it first saw light of day, that all-encompassing adjective was as likely to be used in poetry as in science. John Milton used it in Paradise Lost, and Alexander Pope wrote of a mountain "whose tow'ring summit ambient clouds conceal'd." Both poets and scientists who use ambient owe a debt to the Latin verb ambire, meaning "to go around," the grandparent of our English word.

Examples of ambient in a Sentence

Adjective Keep the chemicals at an ambient temperature of 70°F. the bright ambient light of the room People shopped as ambient music played in the background. Noun observing how the survival techniques of primates vary with the ambient
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The product not only offers more colors while minimizing eye fatigue, but its ambient lighting also matches the bold color palette of the film. Lesley O'Toole, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Moments of ambient bliss gave way to dark, skittish, low-end patterns, while the percussive sounds of steam, passing subway trains and, appropriately, waves further deepened the transportive effects. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 3 Mar. 2024 On one side, there’s a sculptural rain shower that delivers soothing, ambient rain noise throughout the main level. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 12 Feb. 2024 For context, the roughly two dozen industrial plants around the world that are designed to filter CO2 out of the ambient air were able to capture less than 0.01 million metric tons of carbon dioxide last year. Justine Calma, The Verge, 6 Feb. 2024 Their ambient melodies were free-flowing, save the moment when André or a synth player would hold onto a riff and let its groove sink in through repetition. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2024 Demonstrations prove that this really does do a remarkable job of ‘soaking up’ ambient room reflections, even from very strong light sources such as windows or lamps. John Archer, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 The flute-heavy, ambient jazz record includes contributions from Mia Doi Todd, Matthewdavid, V.C.R, Diego Gaeta, and more. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 22 Feb. 2024 The Experience Box is perhaps the best studio, with an immersive atmosphere that combines blackout elements, ambient lighting, and music. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Feb. 2024
Noun
Seamless door handles 64-color ambient lighting, a wireless smartphone charger, biometric fingerprint scanner, and illuminated door sills add to the upscale offerings. James Raia, The Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2024 Instead, Yorke relies on a percussive mix of industrial, IDM, and ambient. Jon O'Brien, SPIN, 26 Jan. 2024 His curious solo pursuits spanned pop and ambient, the worldly and the avant-garde; his film scores earned him an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a Grammy. The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2024 Point the fixtures in different directions to give you both ambient and task lighting. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2023 Their cosmic, electronic mix of jazz and Afrobeat grew to incorporate ambient and spoken word elements on their second album, 2019’s Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery, followed by The Afterlife the same year. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2023 Acropolis, with Roger Eno: 2021 Brian Eno’s brother Roger is also an accomplished artist, with more than 20 albums of his own and a handful of collaborations with Brian—including their 1983 space ambient masterpiece with Daniel Lanois, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. Jeff Terich, SPIN, 18 Oct. 2023 As a tracking line moves downward across the image, additional background galaxies and stars are punctuated as different glass marimba notes alongside a host of other ambient, representational tones. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 21 June 2023 In some cases, the ambient sounds in a person’s life can contribute to chronic stress. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 6 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ambient.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Latin ambient-, ambiens, present participle of ambiō, ambīre "to visit in rotation, solicit (political support), seek to obtain, surround, encircle, embrace," from amb- "around, on both sides" + eō, īre "to go"; amb- going back to Indo-European *h2m̥bhi "around," whence also Germanic *umbi- (whence Old English ymbe "around, about," Old Frisian umbe, Old Saxon & Old High German umbi "around, about, concerning," Old Icelandic um, umb "around, about, beyond, over"), Gaulish ambi- "around (in names)," Old Irish imb, imm "around, about," Welsh & Breton am, Greek amphí "about, on both sides of," Armenian amb- (in ambołǰ "whole, intact"), Old Avestan aibī "for," Old Persian abiy "to, toward," Sanskrit abhí — more at issue entry 1

Note: The Latin prefix amb- is peculiar in that the expected linking vowel -i- never occurs; before consonants it syncopates, with consequent assimilation: -b- drops, and -m- becomes -n- before non-labial sounds (see amplexus, amputate, ancilla, anfractuous). Indo-European *h2m̥bhi may have developed from *h2n̥t-bhi, a frozen instrumental plural form of the noun *h2ent- "front, face" (see ante-). The same noun figures in *h2(e)nt-bhoh1 "both" (see ambi-).

Noun

derivative of ambient entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ambient was in 1572

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Dictionary Entries Near ambient

Cite this Entry

“Ambient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ambient. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ambient

adjective
am·​bi·​ent
ˈam-bē-ənt
: surrounding on all sides

Medical Definition

ambient

adjective
am·​bi·​ent ˈam-bē-ənt How to pronounce ambient (audio)
: surrounding on all sides
the ambient environment
ambient air pollution

More from Merriam-Webster on ambient

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