celestial

[suh-les-chuhl]

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

/ sɪˈlɛstɪəl /

adjective

1. heavenly; divine; spiritual

   celestial peace

2. of or relating to the sky

   celestial bodies

celestial

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of celestial¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of celestial¹

C14: from Medieval Latin cēlestiālis, from Latin caelestis, from caelum heaven

Example Sentences

"This gives us a higher level of detail than we've ever had to study these celestial bodies."

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Believing that spacetime is a real, physical entity is no more defensible than believing in the old idea of a celestial sphere.

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Equipped with OmegaCAM, a 268-megapixel camera, the telescope is perfectly suited for imaging large celestial regions and revealing breathtaking structures like this one.

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In New Mexico, where wide open landscapes and minimal light pollution create some of the clearest skies in the United States, stargazers enjoy a prime view of this annual celestial display.

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Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in space-time that occur when massive celestial objects crash or merge.

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Related Words

• angelic 
• divine 
• ethereal 
• immortal 
• otherworldly 
• spiritual 
• sublime 
• supernatural