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
- nongalactic adjective
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.
"Our prediction is that we'll see a lot more galactic cosmic radiation... which is from supernovas and is everywhere," versus radiation coming from the Sun, he said.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
“OK, 90 miles an hour through Big Sur last night, just blasting ‘Dark Star,’” referring to the Grateful Dead song known for its galactic endlessness in live versions.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The forthcoming film will take place 17 years after the events of Dune: Part Two and follow the consequences of Paul Atreides' rise as galactic emperor.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
"It is the only galactic nucleus close enough to Earth for us to study in such fine detail," Barnes explains.
From Science Daily • Mar. 5, 2026
A series of small coincidences that we say means everything because we want to believe that our tiny lives matter on a galactic scale.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
