What does ambrosial mean?
Ambrosial is an adjective describing something extraordinarily delicious or exquisitely fragrant — so delightful that it seems fit for the gods. The word derives from ambrosia, the legendary food of the Greek Olympians said to confer immortality on whoever consumed it, and it retains that mythic glow in modern English. In practice, ambrosial appears most often in food writing, poetry, and elevated descriptive prose: a critic might call a dessert's sauce ambrosial, or a novelist might describe an ambrosial perfume drifting through a garden. It always carries a strongly positive connotation, suggesting not merely that something tastes or smells good, but that it offers an almost transcendent sensory pleasure. Because of its literary register, ambrosial can sound ornate in casual conversation, yet it remains a precise and evocative choice when ordinary words like tasty or nice would undersell the experience. For writers seeking to convey rapturous delight in flavor or scent, few English words match its classical pedigree and sensual force.
adjectiveDivinely delicious or wonderfully fragrant; exceptionally pleasing to the taste or smell. By extension, something so delightful it seems worthy of the gods.
- Exceptionally delicious or pleasing to the taste, like the food of the gods.
- Wonderfully fragrant or sweet-smelling.
"The kitchen was filled with the ambrosial scent of fresh bread and honey."
"She described the ripe mango as utterly ambrosial, sweeter than anything she had tasted before."
"An ambrosial perfume of jasmine drifted through the garden at dusk."
In Greek myth, eating ambrosia made you immortal — so calling your dinner 'ambrosial' is claiming it could grant eternal life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of ambrosial
Ambrosial comes from ambrosia, the food of the Greek gods, which derives from the ancient Greek ambrotos meaning 'immortal' — literally 'not mortal', formed from the negative prefix a- combined with mbrotos ('mortal'). The adjective entered English in the mid-seventeenth century, first describing things relating to or befitting the gods' food, then broadening to mean divinely delicious or fragrant. Cognate forms include the noun ambrosia itself and the adjective ambrosian, while the later coinage ambrotype (an early photographic process) borrowed the same Greek root for its life-like quality.
Related word forms
How ambrosial is actually used
Ambrosial is a literary, somewhat elevated word — more common in descriptive prose, food writing, and poetry than in everyday speech. It carries an unambiguously positive connotation and often implies an almost supernatural degree of pleasure rather than mere tastiness.
Easily confused with ambrosial
Ambrosia is the noun referring to the mythical food of the Greek gods (or a fruit salad), while ambrosial is the adjective describing anything resembling it in deliciousness or fragrance.