the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system.
a complete, orderly, harmonious system.
order; harmony.
any composite plant of the genus Cosmos, of tropical America, some species of which, as C. bipannatus and C. sulphureus, are cultivated for their showy ray flowers.
(initial capital letter) Also Kosmos. one of a long series of Soviet satellites that have been launched into orbit around the earth.
the world or universe considered as an ordered system
any ordered system
harmony; order
any tropical American plant of the genus Cosmos, cultivated as garden plants for their brightly coloured flowers: family Asteraceae (composites)
What is the cosmos flower? A cosmos is a flower with brightly colored, raylike petals. The name cosmos can be used for any plant in the genus Cosmos. The plural can be cosmos or cosmoses. Cosmoses are popular in gardens. Two of the best-known species are Cosmos bipannatus and Cosmos sulphureus (known as sulphur cosmos), both of which are cultivated for their flowers. Cosmos flowers vary widely in color. Varieties include yellow, orange, pink, and purple. In some varieties, the petals are notched at the tips. Cosmos are one of the October birth flowers (a flower that’s associated with a particular month in the same way as a birthstone). Example: The display at the botanical garden featured flashy orange cosmoses.
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Greek kósmos “order, form, arrangement, the world or universe”
The cosmos is the sum total of everything — pretty big. It's hard to wrap your mind around the cosmos, as it extends far beyond the Milky Way, or far-off galaxies, or even our own universe. Cosmos is originally a Greek word, meaning both "order" and "world," because the ancient Greeks thought that the world was perfectly harmonious and impeccably put in order. We now use cosmos without the idea of perfect order. Now it means, "all of creation," and particularly on the scale of the stars, the planets, the black holes, the other universes, and all the stuff we don't know about. It's also, totally separately, the name of a pretty, flowering Mexican herb.
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!
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!
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!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To conduct the analysis, researchers used Epic Cosmos, a database containing more than 300 million electronic health records from over 1,850 hospitals, including more than one-third of US transplant centers.
From Science Daily • Jul. 1, 2026
The award is named after iconic US scientist Carl Sagan, who brought the universe into people's living rooms in the 20th Century with his 1980 documentary series Cosmos.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
The accompanying Cosmos software allows customers to run diagnostics and telemetry to check on their systems, Mohan added.
From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026
Commisso, who also formerly owned the New York Cosmos soccer club, was the founder of Mediacom Communications, one of the largest cable TV providers in the United States.
From Barron's • Jan. 17, 2026
But if we are to deal with the Cosmos we must first understand it, even if our hopes for some unearned preferential status are, in the process, contravened.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
