galactic
Americanadjective
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Astronomy.
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of or relating to a galaxy.
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of or relating to the Milky Way.
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immense; huge; vast.
a problem of galactic proportions.
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Physiology. pertaining to or stimulating the secretion of milk.
adjective
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astronomy of or relating to a galaxy, esp the Galaxy
the galactic plane
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med of or relating to milk
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of galactic
First recorded in 1830–40, galactic is from the Greek word galaktikós milky. See galact-, -ic
Explanation
Galactic things relate to a galaxy, a complex system of stars, especially the one in which we live. The very middle of our galaxy can be called the galactic center. When something's described as galactic, it usually has something to do with astronomy. The adjective is good for talking about the characteristics of our galaxy, or specifying that something exists within our galaxy. Galactic can also be used informally to simply mean huge: "Did you see the size of their house? It's galactic!" The word, along with galaxy, comes from the Greek phrase galaxias kyklos, "milky circle."
Vocabulary lists containing galactic
Science Fiction Lingo
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Our galaxy is expected to merge with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy billions of years from now, and observing other galactic mergers helps scientists understand how such an encounter could unfold.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Say goodbye, though, to Tesla, which will now inevitably disappear forever into SpaceX and Musk’s dream of a galactic mega-entity.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
The album is loaded with Anthrax trademarks — serrated, crunchy riffs, soaring lead vocals, bludgeoning beats, and scorching guitar — but there are also galactic noise effects, angular song structures and atypical chord configurations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Now with HBO’s “Lanterns,” she adds an all-powerful galactic android to her acting resume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
A lot of astronomers believe it isn’t a planet at all, but merely the largest object so far found in a zone of galactic debris known as the Kuiper belt.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
