astronomical

Also as·tro·nom·ic

[as-truh-nom-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or connected with astronomy.

2. extremely large; exceedingly great; enormous.

   It takes an astronomical amount of money to build a car factory.

astronomical

/ ˌæstrəˈnɒmɪkəl /

adjective

1. enormously large; immense

2. of or relating to astronomy

Other Word Forms

• astronomically adverb
• nonastronomic adjective
• nonastronomical adjective
• nonastronomically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of astronomical¹

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin astronomic(us) (from Greek astronomikós ) + -al ¹; astronomy, -ic

Example Sentences

To interpret any astronomical observation, researchers rely on models that describe what different types of objects should look like.

Read more on Science Daily

The dying star was relatively close in astronomical terms: about 22 million light-years away, making it shine very bright.

Read more on Space Scoop

"The cost of food is astronomical now and to feed a family of six is a huge amount of money," she said.

Read more on BBC

There are two common ways to define the start of our seasons in the UK- meteorological and astronomical.

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The actor, who used to live in Baltimore, said he lost his house “because the costs over these last seven years have been astronomical.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• colossal 
• considerable 
• enormous 
• gigantic 
• humongous 
• monumental 
• sizeable 
• tremendous 
• vast 
• whopping