Sultry describes weather or a person’s manner that feels hot, humid, or emotionally charged. It conveys a sense of heat, seductiveness, or intensity, often implying sultriness in voice, atmosphere, or appearance. The word blends physical warmth with alluring or steamy connotations, and can refer to climate, mood, or a person’s demeanor. The emphasis is on moody, intimate intensity rather than severity.
"The summer air was sultry, making the evening feel heavy and humid."
"Her sultry voice drew him in, softly coaxing him to listen."
"The sultry breeze carried the scent of jasmine through the night."
"The film’s sultry soundtrack set a ripe, flirtatious tone for the scene."
Sultry comes from the Middle English sultrie, influenced by Old French sulteri and Latin sultritus, all relating to heat and humidity. The root concept centers on warmth and oppression of air, evolving to describe not only weather but also emotionally charged or alluring qualities. The word’s association with heat and heaviness appears in 16th–17th century usage, expanding to figurative senses such as a sultry voice or atmosphere in literature and drama. Over time, sultry has retained its core imagery of warmth and intensity, while broadening to connotations of seduction or passionate mood. First known uses appear in early modern English texts where weather conditions and mood were often linked in descriptions of scenes or characters.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Sultry" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Sultry"
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You pronounce sultry as /ˈsʌl.trɪ/ in broad phonetic transcription. The primary stress is on the first syllable: SUL-try. The first vowel is the short
Common errors: treating the second syllable as a full vowel with an /iː/ rather than the light /ɪ/; misplacing the /l/ and /t/ clusters so it sounds like /ˈsʌltri/ instead of /ˈsʌl.trɪ/. Ensure the second syllable reduces to a quick /trɪ/ and avoid extra syllable length.
In US English, /ˈsʌl.tri/ with rhotic influence; the r is light. In UK English, /ˈsʌl.trɪ/ with a shorter, clipped second syllable and non-rhotic tendency; the r in coda is often not pronounced. Australian English tends toward /ˈsʌl.tɹi/ with a smooth alveolar approximant and clear /i/ in final, but remains non-rhotic to some degree.
Two main challenges: the rapid /l.tr/ consonant cluster and the short, lax final /ɪ/ could cause misarticulation like /ˈsʌltrɪ/ or misplacing the tongue for /l/ before /t/. Ensure light lifting of the tongue for 'l' followed by a crisp /t/ without adding a vowel between. Practice linking the /l/ to /tr/ for a smooth transition.
A distinctive feature is the /tr/ onset in the second syllable with a very brief schwa-like transition that often reduces to /ɪ/ in many accents. Keeping the second syllable compact and tied to the first reduces umbilical delay between syllables and yields natural rhythm, especially in connected speech.
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