ambient
/ˈæm.bi.ənt/adjective, noun
ambient is spelled A-M-B-I-E-N-T: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ambient means “Encompassing on all sides; surrounding; encircling; enveloping” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ambient?
| Letters | 7: A-M-B-I-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.2 times per million words; the 12,578th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ambient?
Ambient appears 4.2 times per million words in written English, the 12,578th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ambient?
- US /ˈæm.bi.ənt/
Ambient has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-ambient.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ambient
- more ambient comparative
- most ambient superlative
- ambients plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ambient mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Encompassing on all sides; surrounding; encircling; enveloping.
A cup of warm tea eventually cools to the ambient temperature.
- 2
Evoking or creating an atmosphere: atmospheric.
- 3
Relating to, or suitable for, storage at room temperature.
ambient food
- 4
Containing objects or describing a setting that one is interested in.
noun
- 1
Something that surrounds; encompassing material, substance or shape.
- 2
The atmosphere; the surrounding air or sky; atmospheric components collectively such as air, clouds, water vapour, hail, etc.
It might be also, that attracted by that great void Vacuum ... all the ambients would be rarified, and particularly, the air.
- 3
A type of modern music that creates a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ambient in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ambient come from?
From Latin ambiēns (“going around”), from ambiō (“go around”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).