Very hot, humid, and sticky weather that makes you feel uncomfortable; also used to describe someone who is attractive in a sensual or mysterious way.
From 'sulter,' an obsolete verb meaning to swelter, possibly influenced by Middle Dutch 'solteren.' The word entered English around the 1700s and originally referred only to weather.
When people describe a person as 'sultry,' they're actually using a weather word—the idea is that the person creates that same hot, heavy atmosphere! Jazz singers in the 1920s-40s were famous for their 'sultry' voices, combining the literal heat of smoky clubs with sensual singing.
Applied disproportionately to women's appearance and demeanor, with sexual/alluring connotations tied to female bodies; rarely applied to men without irony or novelty.
Replace with specific, non-gendered descriptors: 'humid,' 'oppressive heat,' or for character, 'brooding,' 'intense,' 'mysterious'—avoiding the implicit sexualization.
["humid","oppressive","intense","brooding"]
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