globular
Americanadjective
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globe-shaped; spherical.
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composed of or having globules.
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worldwide; global.
adjective
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shaped like a globe or globule
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having or consisting of globules
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of globular
Explanation
Something that's globular is round or spherical, like the big, globular heads your little brother adds when he's molding little people out of clay. Globular, "globe-shaped," comes from the Latin globus, "round mass or sphere." This adjective shows up a lot in scientific writing, including to describe a rounded mass of stars bound together by gravity — a globular cluster, or in astronomy shorthand, a globular. Strictly speaking, anything that's round is globular, from a tennis ball to the moon.
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.
A globular cluster stellar stream is a long, narrow trail of stars that originated in a globular cluster, a dense collection of stars held together by gravity.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
These streams develop when the gravity of the surrounding host galaxy gradually pulls stars away from the globular cluster through a process called tidal stripping.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
Researchers have now shown for the first time that a globular cluster stellar stream can be used to investigate dark matter in a galaxy beyond the Milky Way.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
Astronomers have identified around 150 globular clusters orbiting the outskirts of our galaxy.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
There may be those who live on a planet that orbits a central star in one of Shapley’s globular clusters, or one located in the core.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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