Meaning & use
aeronaut
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableold-fashionedliterary
A person who travels in the air in a balloon or airship, especially in the early days of flight.
Grammar: Usually refers to a person in a historical setting: an early aeronaut.
Patterns
- an aeronaut in something
- a balloon aeronaut
The aeronaut waved to the crowd as the balloon rose over the field.
Early aeronauts risked their lives with little knowledge of the weather.
A statue honours the aeronaut who first crossed the channel by balloon.
Word forms
| plural | aeronauts |
|---|
Common combinations
- daring aeronaut
- The daring aeronaut climbed into the basket at dawn.
- balloon aeronaut
- The balloon aeronaut landed in a farmer's field.
- early aeronaut
- Each early aeronaut carried sandbags for weight control.
- pioneering aeronaut
- The pioneering aeronaut set a height record.
Synonyms and how they differ
- balloonist
- Balloonist is the plain modern word for someone who flies in balloons, while aeronaut sounds historical or formal.
- aviator
- Aviator suggests a pilot of an aeroplane, whereas aeronaut points to lighter-than-air craft.
- airman
- Airman is general for a member of an air force or a flier, and lacks the historic ballooning flavour of aeronaut.
Word family
- aeronautics noun
- the science or practice of flight
- aeronautical adjective
- relating to flight and aircraft
- astronaut noun
- a person who travels in space
- aeronautic adjective
- another form of aeronautical, less common
Commonly confused: aeronaut or astronaut?
aeronaut vs astronaut
An astronaut travels beyond the atmosphere into space, while an aeronaut moves through the air in a balloon or airship.
Practice
Which person would best be described as an aeronaut in a history book?
Choose one answer.
Aeronaut is used for early balloon or airship travellers. An airline pilot is called a pilot, and a person in space is an astronaut.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aeronaut”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.