galactic
Americanadjective
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Astronomy.
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of or relating to a galaxy.
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of or relating to the Milky Way.
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immense; huge; vast.
a problem of galactic proportions.
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Physiology. pertaining to or stimulating the secretion of milk.
adjective
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astronomy of or relating to a galaxy, esp the Galaxy
the galactic plane
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med of or relating to milk
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of galactic
First recorded in 1830–40, galactic is from the Greek word galaktikós milky. See galact-, -ic
Explanation
Galactic things relate to a galaxy, a complex system of stars, especially the one in which we live. The very middle of our galaxy can be called the galactic center. When something's described as galactic, it usually has something to do with astronomy. The adjective is good for talking about the characteristics of our galaxy, or specifying that something exists within our galaxy. Galactic can also be used informally to simply mean huge: "Did you see the size of their house? It's galactic!" The word, along with galaxy, comes from the Greek phrase galaxias kyklos, "milky circle."
Vocabulary lists containing galactic
Science Fiction Lingo
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A Short History of Nearly Everything
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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.
Dr Sharman said during the mission she was affected by radiation from outside the solar system, called galactic cosmic rays.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
But the wedding did not end with the eclipse as just after midnight and in the early hours of Thursday, they were treated to the galactic "fireworks" of the Perseid meteor shower.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Astronomers describe it as an apparent "orphan" because it sits unusually far from the galactic core, where supermassive black holes are normally found.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Before 2024, every confirmed example had been found in a galactic core.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
It will not get hot enough to emit X rays, but it could account for the very compact source of radio waves and infrared rays that is observed at the galactic center.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
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.
