Ethereal describes something so delicate, light, and beautiful that it seems too perfect for this world, almost like it belongs in heaven or a dream. When morning mist floats through a forest and sunlight filters through it just right, that scene feels ethereal. When a singer's voice sounds so pure and weightless it gives you chills, you might call it ethereal.

Something ethereal has a quality of lightness and otherworldly beauty.

You might describe ethereal music that seems to float through the air, or an ethereal white dress that flows and drifts like fog. Ballet dancers sometimes achieve an ethereal quality when they move so gracefully they seem to defy gravity. The Northern Lights have an ethereal glow that makes them look like they're from another realm entirely.

Ethereal suggests something beautiful but fragile or temporary, like it might vanish at any moment. A soap bubble catching rainbow colors in the sunlight has an ethereal beauty that lasts only seconds before it pops.