Copernican
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Copernicus or his theories.
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important and radically different; thoroughgoing.
a Copernican revolution in modern art.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Copernican
First recorded in 1660–70; Copernic(us) + -an
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.
As Justin Garson writes in “The Madness Pill: One Doctor’s Quest to Understand Schizophrenia,” the effect on psychiatry was like “the Copernican revolution in physics.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
They refer to this broader idea as the "Copernican principle of consciousness."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
Its five time periods include the Pre-Nectarian, Nectarian, Imbrian, Eratosthenian and Copernican.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2023
Believe it or not, the Copernican principle doesn’t even end there.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 19, 2023
There was much more to Copernican astronomy, for those with eyes to see, than the simple claim that the Earth orbits around the Sun.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
Definitions 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.
