Gossamer
adjective / noun /ˈɡɒsəmə/ — Light, delicate, and almost translucent — as fine as a spider's web.
Definition
As fine as gossamer thread — the silken, barely-there quality of fabric, light, or thought that seems almost to exist only in suggestion, as though the next breeze might disperse it entirely.
Beyond the definition
There are feelings that only gossamer can describe: the memory of a dream already fading, the light through gauze curtains, the first layer of fondness before it becomes love. Gossamer is the word for things too fine to hold.
Origin & history
Middle English: possibly from 'goose summer' — Indian summer, when gossamer threads floated on warm autumn air. One of English's most evocative etymologies.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The gossamer curtains moved in the breeze like something breathing.
Her prose had a gossamer quality — weightless and present at once.
Memory, like gossamer, is most visible when the light hits it at the right angle.
Synonyms
diaphanous, filmy, sheer, delicate, translucent
Antonyms
heavy, solid, dense
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Fragile Seedling Contrast
An orator on stage holds a tiny, fragile seedling, which appears as fine and light as if it might disperse in a breeze.
The seedling held in the orator's hand has a gossamer quality. It is barely-there and fine, suggesting that it exists only in suggestion. Its fragility contrasts with the heavy iron chain on the speaker's other shoulder, highlighting the light, silken nature of new growth.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration