Vibe

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /vaɪb/

Definitions

1. A distinctive emotional atmosphere or feeling that a person, place, or situation gives off
2. A particular emotional quality or aura perceived in a person, place, or circumstance
3. The mood or underlying tone that can be sensed from an environment or individual's presence

Etymology: The noun "vibe" is a clipped form of "vibration" or "vibrator," and the shortening is what gives it its breezy feel. Clipping a long word down to its first syllable or two is a common move in American slang, and the word's sense of an atmosphere you can sense without anyone naming it grew out of the older idea of a physical tremor. "Vibration" itself comes from the Latin "vibrare," meaning to shake, quiver or brandish, so the word began as something that physically shook and only later came to describe the mood a room gives off. The verb uses are built on the same clipped stem, so the word moves easily between noun and verb, as in "that place vibes well with me." Its use as a shortened form of "vibrator" is the older physical sense, and the "vibes" in the plural became the usual form for a mood or a feeling people pick up on in others.

Synonyms: atmosphere, mood, feeling, energy, ambiance

Antonyms: discomfort, tension, hostility, negativity, unpleasantness