lunar
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the moon.
the lunar orbit.
-
measured by the moon's revolutions.
a lunar month.
-
resembling the moon; round or crescent-shaped.
-
of or relating to silver.
noun
adjective
-
of or relating to the moon
-
occurring on, used on, or designed to land on the surface of the moon
lunar module
-
relating to, caused by, or measured by the position or orbital motion of the moon
-
of or containing silver
-
Relating to the Moon.
-
Measured by the revolution of the Moon around the Earth.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lunar
First recorded in 1585–95, lunar is from the Latin word lūnāris of the moon. See Luna, -ar 1
Explanation
The adjective lunar is used to describe something that is related to the moon. If you like astronomy, you probably enjoy lunar eclipses, when the Earth casts its shadow on the moon. Lunar comes from the Latin word luna, meaning moon. The Roman goddess of the moon is called Luna (Selene in Greek mythology). There are lunar eclipses, a lunar calendar, lunar tides, and lunar orbits. Maybe you want to be the first live-in chef on a lunar space station. You can also hear lunar in the word lunatic — they used to think insanity was related to the cycles of the moon.
Vocabulary lists containing lunar
Over The Moon: Planetary Vocabulary
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!
Eclipse Vocabulary
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!
February Vocabulary Words
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!
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.
This will pave the way for the Artemis IV mission, currently scheduled for 2028, which will see astronauts land on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The extra lunar light, however, may obscure some of the meteors, so be patient and leave time for your eyes to adjust.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The company needs to get Starship regularly flying to handle lunar missions for NASA, fortify its Starlink network and to deploy AI data centers in space, which Musk said could come as soon as 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
While the mantle appears relatively uniform in composition, the lunar crust reveals a much more pronounced contrast.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
One picture showed Katherine Johnson sitting at her desk at 1244, pencil in hand, “analyzing lunar trajectories and computing trip time to the Moon and return to Earth by a space vehicle.”
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
