Both can bebused to describe weather, specifically temperature. 'Stifling' means sonhotbthat it is difficult to breathe. 'Sultry' means hot and wet. It's really a synonym of humid, but tends to suggest tropical weather. Both words have other meanings, which are not related. Sultry can be used to describe a sexy, exotic person. Stifling can be usedbto describe anything which makes it difficult to breathe freely.

Sultry implies something wet or humid, in addition to the heat, like tropical hot weather. Stifling implies something that makes it hard to breathe, like hot weather. But this can also be used to describe an oppressive atmosphere in general, not necessarily associated with heat. So for instance, you would *not* use "sultry" to describe the weather conditions in the desert (like, say, the Sahara) because it is a dry climate, but you may want to use it to describe conditions in the Amazon rainforest during the summer.

Neither term is comparable to begin with. They are not related.

Also: "Sultry good looks" is a common phrasing in the USA. "Stifling heat" is also a common phrasing. Hot generally may refer to weather, but it also refers to an explicit or implicit sexuality.

Stanislav: Usage may vary with time and place. For example, here are the associations that I am more familiar with in the United States: A sexually exciting or gratifying person or object. That dress is so sultry That girl looks so sultry in that sultry dress of hers by foolish fool March 21, 2005        288  119    Merch "Words related to sultry sexy hot gorgeous attractive seductive sensual humid alluring amazing babe beautiful close cool delicious female horny muggy sassy saucy sticky" ----from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sultry Of course there can be weather references, but I am not familiar with this as a current usage. Humid would make it so, but as the Urban Dictionary shows, far more contemporary references have an association with sensuality.