celestial
Americanadjective
-
pertaining to the sky or visible heaven, or to the universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere, as in
-
pertaining to the spiritual or invisible heaven; heavenly; divine.
celestial bliss.
-
of or relating to celestial navigation.
a celestial fix.
-
Celestial, of or relating to the former Chinese Empire or the Chinese people.
noun
-
an inhabitant of heaven.
-
Celestial, a citizen of the Celestial Empire.
adjective
-
heavenly; divine; spiritual
celestial peace
-
of or relating to the sky
celestial bodies
-
Relating to the sky or the heavens. Stars and planets are celestial bodies.
-
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
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
Explanation
What is the difference between a celestial being and a celestial body? The first is something living such as an alien or an angel, whereas the latter is an inanimate object such as a star or a planet. Both, however, are from the sky. The word celestial is primarily used to describe things that have to do with the heavens such as angels, spirits, stars and planets. It does not come from words meaning God or soul though, but from the Latin word for "sky," caelestis, which also gave rise to the word ceiling. So really, all you have to do is look up and you'll remember what celestial means — whether you're inside or outside.
Vocabulary lists containing celestial
Celestial Words To Mark The Winter Solstice
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Oh, My Stars! The Language of Outer Space
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Eclipse Vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
When two celestial bodies orbit one another, their mutual gravitational attraction causes both to move around a shared center of mass.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
While it has been active for most of October, the celestial spectacle will be at its best in the early hours of October 22.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
One theory for the origin of the moons -- the "giant impact" hypothesis -- is that they formed after a celestial body collided with Mars.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
Naval Academy, having deemed GPS dependable, stopped teaching midshipmen celestial navigation—the discipline of fixing a ship’s position based on timed sightings of the sun and the stars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
“One side is celestial bronze. The other is tempered steel. Works on mortals and immortals both.”
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
