stratosphere

noun

strato·​sphere ˈstra-tə-ˌsfir 

1

: the part of the earth's atmosphere which extends from the top of the troposphere to about 30 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface and in which temperature increases gradually to about 32°F (0°C) and clouds rarely form

2

: a very high or the highest region on or as if on a graded scale

construction costs in the stratosphere

the celebrity stratosphere

stratospheric

ˌstra-tə-ˈsfir-ik 

-ˈsfer-

adjective

stratospherically

ˌstra-tə-ˈsfir-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈsfer-

adverb

Did you know?

The stratosphere (strato- simply means "layer" or "level") lies above the earth's weather and mostly changes very little. It contains the ozone layer, which shields us from the sun's ultraviolet radiation except where it's been harmed by manmade chemicals. The levels of the atmosphere are marked particularly by their temperatures; stratospheric temperatures rise only to around 32°—very moderate considering that temperatures in the troposphere below may descend to about -70° and those in the ionosphere above may rise to 1000°.

Examples of stratosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Needless to say, the first film helped launch both of them into the silver-screen stratosphere. —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 12 Oct. 2024

The fight would relaunch Ali into the boxing stratosphere following his blacklisting over his refusal to be drafted into the Vietnam War. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024

Munk is also associated with a startup called Space V.I.P., a luxury space-travel company that intends to take people into the upper stratosphere, eight at a time, in a capsule attached to a balloon. —Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Joplin’s version of the song hit No. 1 on the charts, launching Kristofferson to a new stratosphere of success, writing songs for Joe Simon, Bobby Bare, Kenny Rogers, and more. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French stratosphère, probably from stratus stratus (from the zone's layer-like character, compared to stratus clouds) + -o- -o- + -sphère -sphere

Note: The term was introduced, along with troposphère, by the French meteorologist Léon Tesserenc de Bort (1855-1913). See note at troposphere.

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stratosphere

• the stratosphere

Kids Definition

stratosphere

noun

strato·​sphere ˈstrat-ə-ˌsfi(ə)r 

: an upper portion of the atmosphere above the troposphere where temperature changes little and clouds rarely form