Definition of "atmospherics" []

• Electromagnetic radiation produced by natural phenomena such as lightning. (noun)
• Radio interference produced by electromagnetic radiation. Also called sferics. (noun)
• Features, events, or statements intended to create a particular mood or attitude: "[This book] is full of fiction unconcerned with spooky atmospherics or suspense; most of the collection's stories are about cruel humans and the violence they commit” ( Ken Tucker). (noun)
• The mood or attitude so created. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Mr. Baker has raised plenty of money and run hard, but his inexperience with political atmospherics is reflected in steadily rising disapproval ratings."
• "Those changes included the restructuring of how contractors gather what is known as "atmospherics," like the tone of Friday sermons at a mosque, or the mood on the street of a village toward a local official or NATO."
• "And many of his troubles involve what political operatives call 'atmospherics' -- the very stuff a PR professional is supposed to manage."