interstellar
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of interstellar
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."
Vocabulary lists containing interstellar
Oh, My Stars! The Language of Outer Space
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Oh, My Stars! A Solstice Sampler
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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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.
"Every interstellar comet so far has been a surprise," added Zexi Xing, postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study.
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
Three vertical screens show computer-generated landmarks of 18 world’s fairs arrayed in interstellar space—most familiar from this exhibition—slowly rotating as people cross walkways between them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Nali drove through Gallup to the main public library, where Nathan checked out a science-fiction trilogy about kids who were drafted by the government to fight an interstellar war against aliens.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
