"Genius loci" is a rare and formal term. Since your readers might not be able to figure out what it means from context, you could gloss it for them (explain its meaning), like the Wall Street Journal writer below does.

You might talk about the genius loci of a specific place: "the genius loci of the deep south," "the genius loci of east Hawaii." 

Or you might talk about a genius loci that charms you, reveals itself to you, influences you, or inspires you. You might embrace the genius loci, feel its presence, or feel drawn to it. And you might talk about the people, events, traditions, landscapes, landmarks, and so on that create or contribute to the genius loci. Or talk about the paintings, photos, writings, and music that capture or convey the genius loci.

You might even say that a particular thing or person seems to be the genius loci. Here's Robert Louis Stevenson: "He stands essentially as a genius loci. It is impossible to separate his spare form and old straw hat from the garden in the lap of the hill...The garden and gardener seem part and parcel of each other."

"The road passed through the hamlet of Preila, where the smell of zuvis, or smoked fish, a celebrated cottage industry, wafted out of lagoon-side smokehouses. The road then swung inland, into the pine forest, where I maintained an unfruitful vigil for the boar and elk that are said to roam here. As I pedaled on through the bosky, quiet terrain, I became aware of a peculiar genius loci, the spit's ephemeral sense of place."
 — Henry Wismayer, Wall Street Journal, 22 August 2018

"I have lived abroad a little, travelled a fair amount, but essentially spent my last 45 years in and around the same tube station. Yet I certainly don't feel the genius loci of Tufnell Park very strongly. It is a congenially anonymous place to live."
 — Julian Barnes, The Guardian, 3 February 2018

has this page helped you understand "genius loci"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "genius loci" without saying "guardian of a place" or "general atmosphere of a place."

try it out:

Umberto Pasti gives this advice to gardeners:

"To become a gardener means... above all, perking up your ears, sniffing, identifying the rhythm and the secret voice of a place, so that you may abandon yourself to and indulge it... Great gardens, no matter their look, are born from careful attention to the voice of nature and the desires of the genius loci, the spirit of the place."

Talk about what he means. Could you also describe (or give examples of) the "desires of the genius loci" of your own home or community?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for this month is "The LOL Is In the Details."

I'll give you a vague version of a quote from a funny writer or speaker, then prompt you to liven it up with detail. To see the original quote, scroll all the way down.

Here's an example:

"Don't order any of the faerie food… It tends to make humans a little crazy. One minute you’re snacking, the next minute you’re doing something insane."

Snacking on what? Doing what?

You might say, "One minute you’re sampling a mushroom tart, the next minute you’re doing the Macarena."

And the writer's original version was "One minute you're munching on a faerie plum, the next minute you're running naked down Madison Avenue with antlers on your head."
— Cassandra Clare, City of Bones, 2007

Try this one today:

"'Sing another one,' Mrs. Hedy said. She said it with a sort of joyful aggression, like a drunk I'd once seen."

A drunk doing what? Where?

review this word:

1. A close opposite of GENIUS LOCI is

A. ASININITY: a deep stupidity, reminiscent of that of a wild donkey.
B. ANIMA MUNDI: the soul of the whole world, or a spirit that unites all living things.
C. APRÈS NOUS LE DÉLUGE: "after us, the flood:" an attitude of not caring what happens after one is dead or gone

2. In a novel, Gertrude Atherton wrote, "For Isabel Otis the genius loci had a more powerful and enduring magnetism than any man or woman she had ever known... No _____ had ever called her, disturbed her, excited her into furious criticism, mockingly maintained its hold upon the very roots of her being, like _____."

A. place .. the city of her birth
B. object .. the sword of her father
C. creature .. the fierce and wild mountain lion

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. A From the game: Any unique version of the quote that you created is great! Here's the original: "'Sing another one,' Mrs. Hedy said. She said it with a sort of joyful aggression, like a drunk I'd once seen who'd refused to leave a Korean grocery." —  ZZ Packer, "Brownies," 2003

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.