What does "vaporous" mean?
Of or relating to vapour; also, having the characteristics or consistency of vapour.
Vaporous
/ˈveɪpəɹəs/ adj
adj ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Of or relating to vapour; also, having the characteristics or consistency of vapour.
- Grammar: vaporous is listed as adj.
- Nearest alternatives: adulterated, aerial, aerodynamic, aerostatic.
- Useful contrasts: clear, concrete, solid.
- Usage evidence: Hovv can darkneſſe be called a Maſſe? &c. No it cannot. Nor a thin vaporous matter neither.
How to use "vaporous"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "vaporous" 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 "vaporous" 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 "vaporous" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "vaporous" 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 "vaporous" is acting as adj 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 "adulterated" 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 "vaporous", 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
Adjective
- 1 Of or relating to vapour; also, having the characteristics or consistency of vapour.
"Hovv can darkneſſe be called a Maſſe? &c. No it cannot. Nor a thin vaporous matter neither."
- 2 Breathing out or giving off vapour.
- 3 Of a place: filled with vapour; foggy, misty.
"O hatefull, vaporous, and foggy night, / Since thou art guilty of my cureleſſe crime: / Muſter thy miſts to meete the Eaſterne light, / Make vvar againſt proportion'd courſe of time."
- 4 Of a thing: covered or hidden by vapour, fog, or mist.
"Wide sea, that one continuous murmur breeds / Along the pebbled shore of memory! / Many old rotten-timber'd boats there be / Upon thy vaporous bosom, magnified / To goodly vessels; many a sail of pride, / And golden keel'd, is left unlaunch'd and dry."
- 5 Lacking depth or substance; insubstantial, thoughtless, vague. figuratively
"So vvhoſoeuer ſhall entertaine high and vapourous imaginations, in ſteede of a laborious and ſober inquiry of truth ſhall beget hopes and Beliefes of ſtrange and impoſſible ſhapes."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 Of clothes or fabric: thin and translucent; filmy, gauzy. figuratively
"[A]irily-attired ladies were lounging upon the chairs in the gardens of the Tuileries; only the most fragile and vaporous bonnets were to be seen in the Bois de Boulogne; […]"
- 7 Feeling melancholy; experiencing the vapors.
"The task at first daunted him, and he wailed to Mary that he could not write about the Florentines because he no longer enjoyed them as a school. Again Mary rescued him from his vaporous mood, and the two of them vigorously plunged into the new work."
Adjective
- 1 filled with vapor wordnet
- 2 resembling or characteristic of vapor wordnet
- 3 so thin as to transmit light wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Hovv can darkneſſe be called a Maſſe? &c. No it cannot. Nor a thin vaporous matter neither."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "vaporous"?
Common synonyms include: adulterated, aerial, aerodynamic, aerostatic, aery, air built.
How do you use "vaporous" in a sentence?
Hovv can darkneſſe be called a Maſſe? &c. No it cannot. Nor a thin vaporous matter neither.
How do you pronounce "vaporous"?
Pronounced /ˈveɪpəɹəs/.
Etymology
From Middle English vaporous, from Late Latin vapōrōsus (“full of steam”), from Latin vapor (“exhalation; smoke; steam, vapour”) (possibly related to Proto-Indo-European *kwep- (“to boil; to smoke, steam; aroma; strong odour”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, overly, prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). The English word is analysable as vapour + -ous. Possibly a doublet of hope. Cognates * French vaporeux (“misty, vaporous; filmy, transparent”) * Italian vaporoso (“flimsy, gauzy; fluffy; vaporous”) * Portuguese vaporoso * Spanish vaporoso (“airy; vaporous”)