Meaning & use
humidity
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Meanings
noununcountable
The amount of water vapor in the air, often given as a percentage.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'the humidity is high' or 'a lot of humidity', not 'a humidity' or 'humidities'.
Patterns
- high humidity
- low humidity
- the humidity is ...
- humidity of ... percent
The humidity in the rainforest is often above 80 percent.
High humidity makes hot weather feel much worse.
The weather report said the humidity would drop in the evening.
noununcountable
The condition of air or a place being damp and moist.
Grammar: Also uncountable; used to describe a general damp feeling rather than a measured amount.
Patterns
- the humidity of something
- feel the humidity
You could feel the humidity as soon as you stepped off the plane.
The humidity in the basement caused mold to grow on the walls.
Common combinations
- high humidity
- High humidity can make a warm day feel unbearable.
- relative humidity
- Relative humidity compares the moisture in the air with the maximum it could hold at that temperature.
- the humidity rises
- As the storm approached, the humidity rose quickly.
- humidity level
- Keep the humidity level in the room between 30 and 50 percent.
- humid climate
- She moved from a dry desert to a humid climate and found it hard to adjust.
Synonyms and how they differ
- moisture
- Moisture is a general word for small amounts of water anywhere, while humidity refers specifically to water vapor in the air.
- dampness
- Dampness describes a slightly wet condition, often in a building, and is less technical than humidity.
Opposites
Word family
- humid adjective
- Having a lot of water vapor in the air.
- humidify verb
- To add moisture to the air.
- humidifier noun
- A device that adds moisture to the air.
- dehumidify verb
- To remove moisture from the air.
Commonly confused: humidity or humility?
humidity vs humility
Humility means being modest and not proud; humidity is about moisture in the air. They sound similar but have completely different meanings.
Practice
After the rain, the __________ was so high that the windows fogged up.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a noun as the subject, and 'humidity' is the noun for the amount of moisture in the air. 'Humid' is an adjective, 'humidify' is a verb, and 'humidifier' is a device.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “humidity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.