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.
One leading idea is that little red dots are supermassive black holes known as active galactic nuclei.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
But the wedding did not end with the eclipse as just after midnight and in the early hours of Thursday, they were treated to the galactic "fireworks" of the Perseid meteor shower.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The new AI system was designed to search for the same types of flares across the entire sky, including locations far from galactic centers.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
Gaia data had identified about 288,000 stars, while the galactic model suggested that more than 6.1 million stars may actually have been observed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026
I know now what she was to me—the first glimpse of a space-bridge, a wormhole, a galactic portal off this bound and blind planet.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Definitions 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.
