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Synonyms

celestial

American  
[suh-les-chuhl] / səˈlɛs tʃəl /

adjective

  1. pertaining to the sky or visible heaven, or to the universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere, as in

  2. pertaining to the spiritual or invisible heaven; heavenly; divine.

    celestial bliss.

    Synonyms:
    ethereal, beatific, seraphic, angelic
  3. of or relating to celestial navigation.

    a celestial fix.

  4. Celestial, of or relating to the former Chinese Empire or the Chinese people.


noun

  1. an inhabitant of heaven.

  2. Celestial, a citizen of the Celestial Empire.

celestial British  
/ sɪˈlɛstɪəl /

adjective

  1. heavenly; divine; spiritual

    celestial peace

  2. of or relating to the sky

    celestial bodies

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

celestial Scientific  
/ sə-lĕschəl /
  1. Relating to the sky or the heavens. Stars and planets are celestial bodies.

  2. Relating to the celestial sphere or to any of the coordinate systems by which the position of an object, such as a star or planet, is represented on it.


Other Word Forms

  • celestiality noun
  • celestially adverb
  • celestialness noun
  • noncelestial adjective
  • noncelestially adverb
  • supercelestial adjective
  • supercelestially adverb
  • uncelestial adjective

Etymology

Origin of celestial

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin cēlestiālis, equivalent to Latin caelesti(s) “heavenly” ( cael(um “heaven, sky” + -estis adjective suffix) + -ālis -al 1

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.

So far, Artemis II has flown human beings farther than anyone has ever traveled, doing a single lap around the moon before heading home and producing some stunning photos of celestial spheres in the process.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

The researchers relied on the Gaia satellite mission, which has collected detailed measurements for about two billion stars and other celestial objects.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

A photographer has captured six planets in one picture as part of a celestial planetary parade.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

In line with his celestial fascination, the 31-year-old singer describes the creative process of his fifth studio album as being caught in a “black hole.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

And, as it turned out, all cats—even celestial ones—were highly intrigued by boxes.

From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi