orbital
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
-
of or denoting an orbit
-
(of a motorway or major road circuit) circling a large city
noun
-
a region surrounding an atomic nucleus in which the probability distribution of the electrons is given by a wave function
-
an orbital road
Other Word Forms
- interorbital adjective
- interorbitally adverb
- orbitally adverb
- preorbital adjective
- superorbital adjective
- transorbital adjective
- unorbital adjective
- unorbitally adverb
Etymology
Origin of orbital
1535–45; < New Latin, Medieval Latin orbitālis; orbit, -al 1
Compare meaning
How does orbital compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Something that's orbital has something to do with an orbit. A satellite's orbital path is the exact route it takes as it travels around the Earth. When planets, moons, or spacecraft move around other objects in an orbit — a curved, regular path — you can describe this movement as orbital. An orbital period is the length of time it takes a craft or body to make a complete pass around the object it orbits. Another way to use this adjective is to mean "relating to an eye socket," which is actually its earliest meaning. The Latin root is orbita, "wheel track, beaten path, course, or orbit."
Vocabulary lists containing orbital
Chemistry - High School
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Chemistry - Middle School
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Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) Tribute List
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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.
In a statement, Space Capital described orbital data centers becoming viewed as a credible idea the “most significant structural shift of the quarter.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Given that Starship has not yet completed a successful orbital flight and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has managed just two launches, this target looks, as Barber puts it, "a very steep ask".
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
It first tested shooting down a satellite in 2007, and has since invested in anti-satellite missile systems and an orbital defense system to deter attacks from orbit, along with enhanced space surveillance technologies.
From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026
In 2025, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched 165 times, accounting for over half of global orbital launches.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Occasionally, one member of a double-star system explodes, breaking the gravitational shackles that bound its companion, which then leaps into space at its former orbital velocity, a slingshot in the sky.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
