Meaning & use
seraphic
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Calm, pure and radiant, like an angel.
Grammar: Usually describes a smile, face or voice.
Patterns
- a seraphic smile
The sleeping child wore a seraphic smile.
Her seraphic face glowed in the candlelight.
A seraphic calm settled over the choir.
adjectivebefore a nounreligion
Relating to seraphs, the highest rank of angels.
Grammar: A religious or literary sense.
The painting shows a seraphic host surrounding the throne.
Medieval writers described seraphic hymns in heaven.
Word forms
| comparative | more seraphic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most seraphic |
Common combinations
- seraphic smile
- He gave a seraphic smile despite the chaos.
- seraphic voice
- The soprano had a seraphic voice.
- seraphic calm
- A seraphic calm followed the storm.
- seraphic expression
- The baby had a seraphic expression.
- seraphic beauty
- The portrait captured her seraphic beauty.
Synonyms and how they differ
- angelic
- Angelic is the common word for sweet and innocent, while seraphic is more lofty and radiant.
- serene
- Serene means calm, while seraphic adds a touch of heavenly beauty.
- cherubic
- Cherubic suggests a round, innocent child's face, while seraphic suggests radiant purity.
- heavenly
- Heavenly is a general word for wonderful, while seraphic is formal and literary.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: seraphic or cherubic?
seraphic vs cherubic
Cherubic means round and innocent like a child; seraphic means pure and radiant like a high angel.
Practice
The choir's pure, shining voices gave the carol a ____ quality.
Choose one answer.
Seraphic means angelic and radiant. Sarcastic sounds similar but means mocking, which does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “seraphic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.