Phrase guide

air du temps

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • US: /ɛɹ du tɑn/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Current popular opinion or trends of a very large group of people, a city or a country.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • With the global financial crisis still hitting hard, the air du temps today is a countrywide depressive mood.
  • What's hip with your kids: Emo is the air du temps in teenage fashion and music.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trend, craze, fashion

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French air du temps (literally “air of the time”).