armchair

[ ahrm-chair ]
See synonyms for armchair on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a chair with sidepieces or arms to support a person's forearms or elbows.

adjective
  1. theorizing without the benefit of practical experience: an armchair football coach.

  2. participating or experiencing indirectly or vicariously: an armchair traveler.

Origin of armchair

1
First recorded in 1625–35; arm1 + chair

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use armchair in a sentence

  • It felt strangely awkward seeing him in my living room with the fake Louis armchairs and the folk art paintings.

  • There were armchairs ranged around, and I sat next to George, who was soon laughing away.

    Meet the Bushes | Cherie Blair | October 10, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The judges sat in their armchairs, with their heads propped up by eider-down cushions, because they had so much to think about.

    Rudy and Babette | Hans Christian Andersen
  • Somewhat lower down, outside the canopy, to the right and left, were two other armchairs for members of the Royal Family.

    The conquest of Rome | Matilde Serao
  • They sat down in their ministerial armchairs with the consciousness of criminality in their hearts.

  • He half filled the glass, emptied it with a few swallows, refilled it and took it over to one of the armchairs.

    Gone Fishing | James H. Schmitz
  • Some plain wooden armchairs were set against the walls that had been rough plastered and washed with burnt sienna brown.

    Flamsted quarries | Mary E. Waller

British Dictionary definitions for armchair

armchair

/ (ˈɑːmˌtʃɛə) /


noun
  1. a chair, esp an upholstered one, that has side supports for the arms or elbows

  2. (modifier) taking no active part; lacking practical experience; theoretical: an armchair strategist

  1. (modifier) participated in away from the place of action or in the home: armchair theatre

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012