orbital
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or denoting an orbit
-
(of a motorway or major road circuit) circling a large city
noun
-
a region surrounding an atomic nucleus in which the probability distribution of the electrons is given by a wave function
-
an orbital road
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of orbital
1535–45; < New Latin, Medieval Latin orbitālis; see orbit, -al 1
Compare meaning
How does orbital compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something that's orbital has something to do with an orbit. A satellite's orbital path is the exact route it takes as it travels around the Earth. When planets, moons, or spacecraft move around other objects in an orbit — a curved, regular path — you can describe this movement as orbital. An orbital period is the length of time it takes a craft or body to make a complete pass around the object it orbits. Another way to use this adjective is to mean "relating to an eye socket," which is actually its earliest meaning. The Latin root is orbita, "wheel track, beaten path, course, or orbit."
Vocabulary lists containing orbital
Chemistry - High School
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Chemistry - Middle School
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Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) Tribute List
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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.
As SpaceX prepares for a public listing later this year, the company plans to leverage the proceeds from its IPO to develop solar-powered orbital data centers to power xAI.
From MarketWatch • May 6, 2026
At main engine cutoff, when the RS-25 engines shut down, the spacecraft was traveling at more than 18,000 miles per hour and reached its intended orbital insertion point with high precision.
From Science Daily • May 4, 2026
The startup is continuing to develop and test its underlying technology, with plans to conduct an initial orbital demonstration in 2028.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2026
The design eschews signaling traditional utility in favor of a jocund modernism—call it orbital chic.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026
The farther away a planet, the greater its orbital period.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
