What does "aerial" mean?
A rod, wire, or other structure for receiving or transmitting radio, television signals etc.
Aerial
/ˈɛɹiəl/ adj, noun
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rod, wire, or other structure for receiving or transmitting radio, television signals etc.
- Grammar: aerial is listed as adj, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: antenna, aboveground, aerial photograph, aerials.
- Useful contrasts: land-based, overland, subterranean.
- Usage evidence: In this next slide we see an aerial shot of the company headquarters.
How to use "aerial"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "aerial" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "aerial" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "aerial" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "aerial" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "aerial" is acting as adj, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "antenna" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "aerial", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A rod, wire, or other structure for receiving or transmitting radio, television signals etc. UK
- 2 a pass to a receiver downfield from the passer wordnet
- 3 A move, as in dancing or skateboarding, involving one or both feet leaving the ground.
"In their dancing, clubbers were flamboyant. They experimented with new dance steps and improvisations, including risky maneuvers and aerials in which women were flipped into the air."
- 4 an electrical device that sends or receives radio or television signals wordnet
- 5 A move that involves performing a full rotation while in the air, without touching any equipment such as a balance beam or panel mat with one's hands.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 An aerial photograph.
"Hemment is on record as being the first person to film aerials of wildlife – he filmed a flock of wild ducks early in 1911, possibly on Rainey's Louisiana property."
- 7 A highly-contrasting visual artifact in the form of a band or ring.
"Lanczos3 for sharp results. May produce aerials. — Krita 5.2.2"
Adjective
- 1 Living or taking place in the air.
"The seabirds put on an astonishing aerial display."
- 2 Made up of air or gas; gaseous. archaic, literary
"A soul [...] was first conceived to be an aerial, or an igneous substance, which animates the body during life, and makes its escape at death [...]."
- 3 Positioned high up; elevated.
"The aerial photographs clearly showed the damage caused by the storm."
- 4 Ethereal, insubstantial; imaginary.
"the great Recompence in view, for which the most exalted Minds have with so much Alacrity, sacrifis'd their Quiet, Health, sensual Pleasures, and every inch of themselves, has never been any thing else but the Breath of Man, the Aerial Coyn of Praise."
- 5 Pertaining to the air or atmosphere; atmospheric.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Pertaining to a vehicle which travels through the air; airborne; relating to or conducted by means of aircraft.
"aerial photography"
- 7 Above the ground.
Adjective
- 1 characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air wordnet
- 2 existing or living or growing or operating in the air wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"In this next slide we see an aerial shot of the company headquarters."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "aerial"?
Common synonyms include: antenna, aboveground, aerial photograph, aerials, aeriform, aeriform.
How do you use "aerial" in a sentence?
In this next slide we see an aerial shot of the company headquarters.
How do you pronounce "aerial"?
Pronounced /ˈɛɹiəl/.
Etymology
From Latin āeri(us) + -al, from Ancient Greek ἀέριος (aérios), from ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”) + -ιος (-ios). By surface analysis, aer- (“air”) + -ial.