Standard Lemma guide

sultry

adj · 5 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsʌltɹi/
  • General-American: /ˈsʌltɹi/
  • General-American: /ˈsəl-/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AH1 L T R IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Hot and humid; sweltering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: climatology, meteorology, natural-sciences, weather

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: oppressive, muggy, sticky

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Emitting great heat.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Sexually enthralling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

characterized by oppressive heat and humidity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the summer was sultry and oppressive
  • the stifling atmosphere
  • the sulfurous atmosphere preceding a thunderstorm

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stifling, sulfurous, sulphurous

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

sexually exciting or gratifying

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • sensual excesses
  • a sultry look
  • a sultry dance

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sensual

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From sulter (“verb (obsolete), a variant of swelter”) + -y; compare sweltry.

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Central Bikol: maalingahot — hot and humid
  • Bulgarian: зноен (znoen) — hot and humid
  • Bulgarian: душен (dušen) — hot and humid
  • Catalan: xafogós — hot and humid
  • Czech: dusný — hot and humid
  • Czech: parný — hot and humid
  • Danish: lummer — hot and humid
  • Dutch: stikkend — hot and humid
  • Dutch: zwoel — hot and humid
  • Esperanto: aermanka — hot and humid
  • Esperanto: sufoka — hot and humid
  • Finnish: painostava — hot and humid
  • French: étouffant — hot and humid
  • French: lourd — hot and humid
  • German: schwül — hot and humid
  • Greek: υγρός και ζεστός (ygrós kai zestós) — hot and humid
  • Hungarian: fülledt — hot and humid
  • Hungarian: fullasztó — hot and humid
  • Hungarian: tikkasztó — hot and humid
  • Irish: meirbh — hot and humid
  • Irish: brothallach — hot and humid
  • Irish: marbhánta — hot and humid
  • Italian: afoso — hot and humid
  • Japanese: 蒸し暑い (mushiatsui) — hot and humid
  • Kapampangan: malisangan — hot and humid
  • Latin: aestifer — hot and humid
  • Māori: tūāhuru — hot and humid
  • Mongolian: бүгчим (bügčim) — hot and humid
  • Mongolian: ᠪᠦᠭᠴᠢᠮ (bügčim) — hot and humid
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lummer — hot and humid
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lummer — hot and humid
  • Plautdietsch: schwool — hot and humid
  • Polish: duszny — hot and humid
  • Polish: gorący — hot and humid
  • Polish: parny — hot and humid
  • Portuguese: mormacento — hot and humid
  • Russian: зно́йный (znójnyj) — hot and humid
  • Serbo-Croatian: sporno — hot and humid
  • Spanish: bochornoso — hot and humid
  • Swedish: kvalmig — hot and humid
  • Tagalog: maalinsangan — hot and humid
  • Thai: ร้อนชื้น — hot and humid
  • Turkish: sıcak ve nemli — hot and humid
  • Ottoman Turkish: ایصی (ısı, ıssı) — hot and humid
  • Ottoman Turkish: حریر (harir) — hot and humid
  • Ottoman Turkish: حرارتلو (hararetli) — hot and humid
  • Bulgarian: жарък (žarǎk) — very hot and dry
  • Catalan: tòrrid — very hot and dry
  • Czech: žhavý — very hot and dry
  • Danish: trykkende — very hot and dry
  • Dutch: snikheet — very hot and dry
  • Finnish: helteinen — very hot and dry
  • Finnish: paahteinen — very hot and dry
  • French: torride — very hot and dry
  • Galician: tórrido — very hot and dry
  • German: drückend — very hot and dry
  • German: heiß — very hot and dry
  • Greek: αποπνικτικός (apopniktikós) — very hot and dry
  • Portuguese: tórrido — very hot and dry
  • Russian: зно́йный (znójnyj) — very hot and dry
  • Spanish: tórrido — very hot and dry
  • Catalan: calent — sexually enthralling
  • Czech: smyslný — sexually enthralling
  • Czech: svůdný — sexually enthralling
  • Czech: vášnivý — sexually enthralling
  • Danish: sanselig — sexually enthralling
  • Danish: sensuel — sexually enthralling
  • Dutch: zwoel — sexually enthralling
  • Dutch: sensueel — sexually enthralling
  • Finnish: kuuma — sexually enthralling
  • French: torride — sexually enthralling
  • Galician: quente — sexually enthralling
  • German: sexy — sexually enthralling
  • German: heiß — sexually enthralling
  • Greek: φλογερός (flogerós) — sexually enthralling
  • Irish: macnasach — sexually enthralling
  • Polish: uwodzicielski — sexually enthralling
  • Portuguese: tórrido — sexually enthralling
  • Russian: зно́йный (znójnyj) — sexually enthralling
  • Spanish: caliente — sexually enthralling
  • Spanish: tórrido — sexually enthralling