Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Surrounding; encircling.
  • adjective Relating to or being instrumental or electronic music that has melody, gentle rhythm, and limited harmonic development and is intended to induce a relaxed mood.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Surrounding; encompassing on all sides; investing: applied to aëriform fluids or diffusible substances.
  • Moving round; circling about.
  • noun That which encompasses on all sides, as a sphere or the atmosphere.
  • noun A canvasser, a suitor, or an aspirant.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Encompassing on all sides; circumfused; investing.
  • noun Something that surrounds or invests.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Encompassing on all sides; surrounding; encircling; enveloping.
  • adjective music Evoking or creating an atmosphere: atmospheric.
  • adjective Relating to, or suitable for, storage at room temperature.
  • noun Something that surrounds.
  • noun uncountable, music A type of modern music which incorporates elements of various musical styles, and creates a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere.
  • noun astrology The atmosphere; the surrounding air or sky; plural atmospheric components collectively such as air, clouds, water vapour, hail, etc.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective completely enveloping

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin ambiēns, ambient-, present participle of ambīre, to surround : amb-, ambi-, around; see ambi– + īre, to go; see ei- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin ambiens ("going around"), from ambiō ("go around").

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Examples

  • Just finished this book: five hundred pages of almost everything loosely associable with the term ambient music in the twentieth century.

    Mina, Mina.... badger 2003

  • I would also fathom to think that if you did allow a bit of time to elapse that it may have got warmer or cooler in ambient air temp.

    Bullets Do Odd Things at Different Ranges 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

  • I would also fathom to think that if you did allow a bit of time to elapse that it may have got warmer or cooler in ambient air temp.

    Bullets Do Odd Things at Different Ranges 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

  • Perhaps in major cities such as Monterrey or Mexico City or Guadalajara or Veracruz, etc., the ambient is different.

    Monterrey Help Please 2009

Comments

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  • Ambient 1.

    September 6, 2009