Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

interstellar

American  
[in-ter-stel-er] / ˌɪn tərˈstɛl ər /

adjective

  1. Astronomy. situated or occurring between the stars.

    interstellar dust.


interstellar British  
/ ˌɪntəˈstɛlə /

adjective

  1. conducted, or existing between two or more stars

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of interstellar

First recorded in 1620–30; inter- + stellar

Explanation

If something happens or is located in between stars, it's interstellar. If you dream of interstellar travel, you're imagining flying through space — and maybe meeting a few extraterrestrials along the way. The area inside a galaxy is often referred to by astronomers as interstellar space. In fact, the adjective interstellar is frequently used in a general way as a synonym for "outer space" or "between solar systems." So if an astronaut is planning an interstellar trip, she may be traveling in space, but she's not literally making a journey from one star to another. The roots of interstellar are inter-, "between," and the Latin stella, or "star."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing interstellar

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.

Here, siblings Mario and Luigi team with Princess Peach and Toad on an interstellar adventure and face off against the nefarious fire-breathing Bowser and his son.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

"When we detect water -- or even its faint ultraviolet echo, OH -- from an interstellar comet, we're reading a note from another planetary system," said Dennis Bodewits, professor of physics at Auburn.

From Science Daily • Feb. 11, 2026

If you were starting today, going to the moon or anywhere beyond, and especially into interstellar space, would be a job for robots and, often, exclusively robots.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026

Under these carefully controlled conditions, the team studied how particles behave when exposed to radiation, closely matching what happens in real interstellar space.

From Science Daily • Jan. 21, 2026

If, on an interstellar voyage, you are not paying attention, you can find yourself drawn into it irrevocably, your body stretched unpleasantly into a long, thin thread.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan