ambient

IPA/ˈæmbiənt/
KK[ˈæmbiənt]IPA/ˈæmbiənt/

ambient — adjective

  • ambientpositive
  • more ambientcomparative
  • most ambientsuperlative

1. describing light, temperature, noise, or similar conditions in the space around

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

describing light, temperature, noise, or similar conditions in the space around someone or something

Example

The nurse checked the ambient temperature before moving the baby upstairs.

collocation: ambient temperature

A sound meter tracked ambient noise outside the school during lunch.

Common collocations
  • ambient temperature
  • ambient light
  • ambient noise
  • ambient humidity
Synonyms
  • surrounding

    broader and more everyday; not especially technical

  • environmental

    often broader in scope and less tied to immediate physical conditions

Grammar Patterns

ambient + temperature/light/noise

Usage Note

Most often used before nouns for measurable conditions such as temperature, light, noise, or air.

Common Mistakes

The room has ambient.
The room has soft ambient lighting.
This meaning is usually used before a noun, not by itself.

ambient — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Surrounding is the broad everyday word for what is around something. Ambient is more common when talking about measurable conditions such as light, temperature, or noise. Atmospheric usually points to the mood a place creates, not the physical conditions in the space.

surrounding ↗environmental ↗atmospheric ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • ambient temperature
  • ambient light
  • ambient noise
  • ambient humidity

Phrases

  • listen to ambient
  • play ambient

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Ambient comes from Latin ambire, meaning to go around. In English it developed the sense of something surrounding a place or person on every side.

First known use

1572

1572, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun